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Nitish, Lalu meet Sonia, call for Oppn unity to defeat BJP
The leaders from Bihar also said that the talks will continue and the next round of discussions would be held after the election for Congress president to include the next Congress chief in the opposition’s plans for the 2024 general election.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and the Congress’ strongest ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad, met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday, the first such meeting between the three in more than five years.
“There can’t be any alliance without the Congress as they have been in the forefront of fighting the BJP,” Prasad said after the meeting.
The leaders from Bihar also said that the talks will continue and the next round of discussions would be held after the election for Congress president to include the next Congress chief in the opposition’s plans for the 2024 general election.
“We met Sonia Gandhi and discussed about opposition unity to defeat the BJP in the 2024 election. She said we will meet again after the Congress presidential polls,” the RJD chief said.
The meeting between the three also take place after Gandhi returned to India following her medical check-up abroad. Earlier this month, Kumar came to Delhi and met a host of opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, to discuss the crucial issue of opposition unity.
Sunday’s meeting, according to insiders, completed an entire political circle for Congress, Janata Dal (United) and RJD and it was the first meeting of the three after 2017— when Kumar quit the alliance with the Congress and RJD in Bihar and formed a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
After the meeting, Kumar said, “All opposition parties must come together to defeat the BJP. The Congress has started the process of the election of its next president. Sonia Gandhi suggested we meet again after the election.”
Earlier in the day, several opposition leaders gathered at an Indian National Lok Dal rally in Haryana, organised by INLD leader Om Prakash Chautala. In the rally, Kumar said that opposition unity will ensure defeat of the BJP in the 2024 polls.
“We can defeat the BJP, which is trying to destroy the country, with the help of all non-BJP parties,” Kumar said. While the Congress, an arch rival of the ILND in Haryana, didn’t attend the meeting, key opposition parties, such as Akali Dal, NCP, RJD, CPI(M) and Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction were present.
Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav was also on the stage in what was seen as a step towards unity among non-BJP parties. However, no one from the Congress attended the rally.
Yechury later tweeted, “BJP will not be allowed to get away by destroying India and its ethos. It thinks it will gain if it can get people to hate one another. The People will defeat their dangerous mindset.”
