On June 23, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, a meeting top Opposition leaders in Patna will be laying the groundwork for the coming together of like-minded parties against the BJP government at the Centre in next general elections. What is likely to happen at the meeting?
Our Bureau
Washington DC/New Delhi
During a conversation at the National Press Club in Washington DC recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi put forth his point of view on a range of issues. In reply to a question about domestic politics, he said his party was in touch with fellow Opposition forces. Responding to a question on Opposition unity, Rahul said his party was holding regular dialogue with all the Opposition parties, adding that “quite a lot of good work is happening” in that regard.
“The opposition is pretty well united, and it’s getting more and more united. We are having conversations with all the Opposition (parties). I think quite a lot of good work is happening there. It’s a complicated discussion because there are spaces where we are competing with the Opposition. So, a bit of give and take is required. But I am confident that it (a grand Opposition alliance against the BJP at the Centre) will happen,” Rahul said.
It was an important statement about Indian domestic politics – an indication of how seriously various political parties are about the 2024 elections.
Now, it has been confirmed that several prominent opposition leaders including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee will attend the opposition meeting, to be convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Janata Dal (United) (JDU) National President Lalan Singh informed that the meeting which was earlier scheduled to take place on June 12 has now been postponed to June 23. “The opposition meeting will be held on 23rd June, in Patna. All opposition parties have agreed to this… Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Uddhav Thackeray, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, CPI Gen Secy D Raja, Sitaram Yechury and Dipankar Bhattacharya will attend the meet,” Singh said while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday.
The meeting, which is aimed at laying the groundwork for the coming together of like-minded Opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre, was originally scheduled to be held on June 12.
However, the meeting was pushed back after several Opposition leaders, including Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, expressed their inability to attend the meeting on June 12, citing prior engagements and preoccupations.
After JDU had announced the meeting of Opposition parties on June 12, earlier, DMK chief Stalin said he had sought a postponement of the June 12 meeting, as he would be busy attending an inaugural ceremony on the same date.
“I will be attending the inaugural ceremony of Mettur Dam on the same date (as the Opposition meeting). It is an important event. Even the Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) will be held up at a different event and won’t be able to attend the meeting on that day. So, I have asked for the meeting of Opposition parties to be pushed back. However, the DMK will surely participate in the meeting,” Tamil Nadu CM Stalin said.
Nitish Kumar has been rooting for Opposition unity since he left the National Democratic Alliance and joined the Grand Alliance to form a new government in August last year.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Friday confirmed that party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi will attend a meeting of the top Opposition leaders convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, to mobilize the opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Venugopal said, “Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will attend the opposition meeting in Patna…” He further said that it is high time to have unity between the opposition parties “to fight against these forces who are ruining the country.”
Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday confirmed that he would participate in the meeting of the Opposition parties.
Speaking to mediapersons in Patna on Thursday, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said that almost 15 parties will attend the meeting. However, the presence of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was not confirmed as Tejashwi Yadav did not have a chance to speak with him.
The meeting, aimed at laying the groundwork for the coming together of like-minded Opposition parties against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre, was originally scheduled to be held on June 12.
Amid efforts to galvanize rival political forces against the BJP government at the Centre with an eye on next year’s Lok Sabha elections, MP Sanjay Raut on Friday supported Rahul Gandhi’s remark on Opposition unity and said in 2024, “we will defeat the current (BJP) government”.
“I agree with what Rahul Gandhi said. The entire Opposition is united and in 2024, we will defeat the current (BJP) government at the Centre,” Raut said. “This is our belief and self-confidence. We will hold each other’s hand and move forward,” he said.
In a related development, veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government, saying if he returns to power in 2024, only the parties or leaders that he approves of will be able to contest the elections in 2029.
Singh made the remark at an event at Gandhi Bhawan in the state capital Bhopal on Wednesday. “If PM Narendra Modi returns to power in 2024, only the leaders or parties he approves of will be able to contest the elections (in 2029). There is a precedent for the same in many countries. He (PM Modi) will be in power in the Opposition as well,” Singh said.
“Our supreme leader (PM Modi) is an expert in the art of speaking but not in listening. This is the hallmark of a dictator, who has no faith in democracy,” the Congress leader alleged.
Invoking 9 years of governance by the Centre under the leadership of PM Modi, the Congress veteran claimed that all the former did in all these years was to promote himself and polish his global image.
“The social economy of the country has been ruined. He (PM Modi) has inflicted the biggest loss on the country. Using religion as a cover, he is taking the whole country down a road where if a person is not a fan of Modi-ji, he is branded a traitor and the rest are patriots. If anyone criticizes PM Modi, ED, IT and CBI are let loose on him,” Singh alleged.
But BJP is pushing against this negative narrative. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on India’s domestic politics during his visit to the United States and expressed confidence that BJP will win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“2024 ka result toh wahi hoga, hamein pata hai. (Everybody knows what will be the result of 2024)”, Jaishankar said at a press conference here in response to a query on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the United States. Jaishankar, who addressed a press conference on Modi government completing nine years, said Rahul Gandhi expects that outside support will work in India and if the narrative against the BJP-led government does not work in India, it is taken abroad.
“We have democracy in the country, I will have something, you will have something. You will have some politics while we will have some politics. I have no objection to whatever he does inside the country but I don’t think taking national politics out of the country is in the national interest. I don’t feel it will increase his credibility,” he added.
But this criticism notwithstanding, Rahul Gandhi seems to be serious about bringing all Opposition parties on a common platform to give a fight to Narendra Modi-led in 2024.
