Opposition Unity Meeting in Patna: When Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, who entered the meeting with a pre-condition for a grand alliance, had a heated exchange over the Centre’s controversial Ordinance aimed at weakening the Delhi government’s hold over its own bureaucracy, Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, and others had to step in to cool things off. In the meeting yesterday, Kejriwal was questioned about his emphasis on the Congress’s position on the Ordinance. The great old party has emphasised numerous times that the huge meeting wasn’t the proper venue for discussing that matter.
AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal Emphasizes Unity in Opposition, Urges Clarity on Delhi Ordinance
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief of the AAP and the chief minister of Delhi, stated that his party was dedicated to not branching out to other states in the cause of a more united opposition. However, they insisted that Congress should make its decision about the Delhi Ordinance known during the convention itself. Mallikarjun Kharge stated that Congress is open to joining forces with like-minded parties, but he also questioned the contentious statement made by an AAP official immediately prior to the meeting. “Opposition parties often meet and devise a shared strategy while Parliament is in session. AAP was present at those gatherings. Why should this Ordinance have a distinct mechanism? This cannot be a requirement for the partnership to take on the BJP, he insisted.
Opposition Leaders Express Open-mindedness and Willingness to Collaborate
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, stated that his group was willing to move past the past and was open-minded about the coalition. “We have no preconceived notions and are here with an open mind. We’re all going to be adaptable. Whatever it takes, we’ll need to fight this battle together, he declared. The 32 leaders from 16 Opposition parties discussed the contentious topic during the four-hour meeting of the Opposition on Friday in Patna, Bihar, even though they later said that seat-sharing discussions will be saved for the next conference in Shimla. Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party insisted that his party wasn’t “anti-Congress” and said that because it comes from a large state, it “will have bigger heart.” “Seat sharing or a common candidate arrangement are both acceptable to us. We don’t oppose the Congress. The battle is with the BJP, he declared. Since their cooperation in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s resounding victory in the 2017 UP state elections, Yadav’s party has kept a strategic distance from the Congress. Despite winning a sizable portion of the alliance’s seats, the Samajwadi Party was thought to be resentful of its ally’s poor performance. Many others thought Congress received more than it merited. Even three months prior, Akhilesh Yadav had absolutely ruled out reaching any sort of settlement with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh prior to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Mamata Banerjee Advocates for Single Opposition Candidate
Mamata Banerjee, leader of the Trinamool Congress, claimed that there should only be one candidate for the combined opposition to the BJP. She declared, “This is a conflict between the Indian people and Modi. There needs to be a separate formula for each state, according to MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and leader of the DMK. He advised forming coalitions between states under the direction of a state-dominant party. If there is no alliance, he suggested running a common candidate from the opposition or setting up a seat-sharing system against the BJP. Although Congress was invited to speak first because it is the largest party, party president Mallikarjun Kharge indicated they will speak after hearing from all other leaders. Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar and leader of the JD(U), began by describing the gathering as the “first step” towards a broader opposition unification. Closer to 2024, more parties will join this coalition, he promised. According to RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, other parties should offer support to the state’s largest party in order for it to take the initiative. “Bigger gatherings ought to exhibit big hearts. According to him, Congress should be accommodating and receptive to seat-sharing plans.
Sharad Pawar Stresses Cooperation to Safeguard Democracy
Sharad Pawar, the patriarch of the nationalist Congress party, argued that the opposition should cooperate to “protect democracy” rather than just for elections. It was referred to as a dictatorship vs democracy conflict by Uddhav Thackeray. Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of the PDP, claimed that what happened in Kashmir is not just restricted to Kashmir and that the BJP will do it in other states as well, citing the repeal of Article 370 and the division of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory. Hemant Soren, chief of the JMM and chief minister of Jharkhand, advocated for nationwide coordinated campaigns. It was determined that the next gathering would take place in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and that the Congress would organise and preside over it. More like-minded parties will be invited, and the Shimla summit will explore a mechanism for seat sharing arrangements between these parties.
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