Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi to discuss a broad Opposition strategy and prepare the ground for an upcoming meeting of several political outfits opposed to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Janata Dal (United) president Lalan Singh was present at the meeting at Kharge’s residence in Delhi. This is the second meeting in as many months between Kharge and Kumar, who has spoken to a number of leaders, including West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, for the proposed meeting. Banerjee, who has had topsy turvy ties with the Congress in the past, hasn’t been contacted by the Congress directly for the proposed Opposition meeting.
“The country will be united now. The strength of democracy is our message. Rahul Gandhi and myself discussed the current political situation with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar today and took forward the process of giving a new direction to the country,” Kharge tweeted after the meeting. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that the venue and date of the Opposition meeting will be announced in a day or two.
This is the latest in a series of efforts by prominent Opposition leaders to forge a common front ahead of the 2024 general elections. Kumar has met a number of leaders in recent months to try and bring them together on a common platform.
{{/usCountry}}This is the latest in a series of efforts by prominent Opposition leaders to forge a common front ahead of the 2024 general elections. Kumar has met a number of leaders in recent months to try and bring them together on a common platform.
{{/usCountry}}Monday’s meeting, which lasted for over an hour, deliberated on the contours of a united opposition meet to be held in Bihar and the need to bring the maximum number of non-BJP political parties on board, said a JD(U) leader on the condition of anonymity.
The Congress will try to unite as many Opposition parties possible, even if some of them are state-level rivals, a party strategist said after the meeting. “We will make a distinction between state-level compulsions and national-level priorities,” he said.
In the meeting, Kumar advocated that state-level issues must not cloud any national-level understanding, said another JD(U) leader. The meeting between Kumar and the Congress leadership came a day after the former held talks with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at the latter’s residence. Kumar attacked the Centre for undermining the Constitution after Kejriwal sought unity among non-BJP parties to prevent parliamentary approval for an ordinance that effectively overturns a Supreme Court judgment to restore to the Capital’s lieutenant governor the power over bureaucracy in Delhi.
In a tweet, Venugopal said: “The Congress Party has not taken any decision on the issue of the Ordinance brought against the SC judgment... It will consult its state units & other like-minded parties on the same. The Party believes in the Rule of Law and at the same time does not condone unnecessary confrontation, political witch-hunt and campaigns based on lies against political opponents by any political party.”