The next meeting of Opposition leaders would be held in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, sometime in July.
17 opposition parties on Friday resolved to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together to defeat the BJP
For the first time in Independent India, as many as 17 Opposition parties came together and resolved to fight the Lok Sabha elections together.
At the meeting that took place in Patna in Bihar on Friday, 23 June, they said the resolution was meant to defeat the BJP and work with flexibility by setting aside their differences.
Leaders of political parties — including the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena (UBT), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Samajwadi Party (SP), National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), JD(U), and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) — participated in the meeting.
Bihar: Comrade @SitaramYechury was received today in Patna by BIhar CM Shri Nitish Kumar ji, CPI(M) State Secretary Comrade Lalan Choudhary and CPI(M) MLAs Comrades Ajay Kumar and Dr. Satyendra Yadav. Comrade Yechury is in Patna to attend a meeting of opposition parties. pic.twitter.com/gpXdLeIAnq
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) June 23, 2023
During an almost- four-hour-long meeting, leaders of the 17 political parties expressed their views.
Addressing a subsequent joint press conference, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that it was a battle of ideologies.
“Indeed, there will be differences among us, but we have decided to work together and protect the ideologies shared by us. The opposition unity is a process, which will move onwards from here,” he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said: “Whatever starts from Patna will take the shape of the public movement. We all are united, and will fight unitedly against BJP.”
She added: “The BJP wants to change history, but we will ensure that history is saved.”
Asserting that all the Opposition parties would fight together against the political vendetta of the BJP, Banerjee said: “Let our blood flow, but we will protect the people and the country.”
She added: “If this dictatorial government returns this time, there will be no election in the future.”
Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said after the Opposition meeting that they had come together to save the diversity and integrity of the country.
PDP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said: “We can’t let Gandhi’s India become Godse’s country.”
After arriving at a consensus, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar said the leaders would meet in the next few days to give a final shape to their plan of fighting together.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that the next meeting of the Opposition leaders would be held in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, in July.
“We have decided to prepare a common agenda and will take decisions in the next meeting on how to move forward and will have to evolve separate plans for every state and we will work together to dethrone the BJP at the Centre,” he said.
NC leader Omar Abdullah said that 17 parties — from Kashmir to Kanyakumari — had come together not for power but for principles.
“We have met to save the country from devastation and to bring democracy back. I and Mehbooba Mufti belong to that part of the country where democracy is murdered. Yesterday in the US, there were discussions in the White House about democracy. Why does this democracy not reach Jammu and Kashmir?” he asked.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin, while talking to reporters at Chennai airport said that he had put forth seven suggestions to all the party leaders for a united alliance including that there should be no post-poll alliance.
Insisting on a common minimum programme, Stalin called for an alliance under the leadership of a party that was strong in their respective states.
“If not seat-sharing, something else within the alliance could be considered in the states. Even if it is not possible, common candidates should be nominated where required,” Stalin said.
Asked about whether a prime-ministerial candidate had been fixed, Stalin said no such thing was discussed in the first meeting.
Stalin also said that further things would be discussed in the next meeting in Shimla.
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, who participated in the meeting, skipped the joint press conference.
The AAP said in a statement after the meeting that the Congress’ refusal to act as a team player would make it difficult for it to be part of an alliance of which the Congress was a part.
“Until the Congress publicly denounces the black ordinance and declares that all 31 of its Rajya Sabha MPs will oppose the ordinance in the House, it will be difficult for the AAP to participate in future meetings of like-minded parties where the Congress is a participant,” the party said.
It was referring to the Union government’s the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Ordinance of 2023 in mid-May, which nullified a Supreme Court Constitution Bench order that handed over the reins of “Services” — the power to transfer bureaucrats posted to Delhi — to the Delhi government.
Earlier, the AAP threatened to walk out of the Opposition leaders’ meeting if the Congress did not promise its support against the Centre’s ordinance.
“The Congress, a national party that takes a stand on almost all issues, is yet to make its position on the black ordinance publicly. However, the Congress’ Delhi and Punjab units have announced that the party should support the Modi government on this issue,” the AAP said.
Meanwhile, Kharge said that the Congress would take a decision on the issue before Parliament began.
Our statement on the meeting of political parties on June 23, 2023, in Patna.#OppositionMeeting pic.twitter.com/Mb3u1G75Cf
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 23, 2023
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the Opposition parties’ unity was nearly impossible and they would face drubbing in the next Lok Sabha polls.
Shah said, “A photo session is happening in Patna. All the opposition leaders have come together on a single platform to convey a message that they will challenge BJP, NDA and Modi.”
He added: “All I want to say to these opposition leaders is that your unity is nearly impossible and even if it gets real, please come in front of the people as in 2024, Modi’s return with 300 plus seats is confirmed.”
BJP national president JP Nadda said that leaders who were jailed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency were now welcoming her grandson Rahul Gandhi.
Union minister Smriti Irani took a dig at the JD(U) and other opposition parties, saying it was “ironic” that some of the leaders who witnessed the “murder of democracy” during the Emergency had assembled under the Congress’ parasol in Patna.
They sent out a message that they were unable to take on Modi on their own, she claimed.
“I want to especially express gratitude to the Congress for openly announcing that it is incapable of defeating Modi alone. It needs support.”
(With PTI inputs)
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