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BIG STORY JUNE 16, 2023 | The Indian Eye 5

lin, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, CPI er in 2024, only the leaders or parties
Gen Secy D Raja, Sitaram Yechury he approves of will be able to con-
and Dipankar Bhattacharya will at- test the elections (in 2029). There
tend the meet,” Singh said while ad- is a precedent for the same in many
dressing a press conference here on countries. He (PM Modi) will be in
Wednesday. power in the Opposition as well,”
The meeting, which is aimed at Singh said.
laying the groundwork for the com- “Our supreme leader (PM
ing together of like-minded Opposi- Modi) is an expert in the art of
tion parties against Prime Minister speaking but not in listening. This is
Narendra Modi and the BJP govern- the hallmark of a dictator, who has
ment at the Centre, was originally no faith in democracy,” the Con-
scheduled to be held on June 12. gress leader alleged.
However, the meeting was Invoking 9 years of governance
pushed back after several Opposition by the Centre under the leadership
leaders, including Congress national of PM Modi, the Congress veteran
president Mallikarjun Kharge and claimed that all the former did in all
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Sta- these years was to promote himself
lin, expressed their inability to attend and polish his global image.
the meeting on June 12, citing prior “The social economy of the
engagements and preoccupations. country has been ruined. He (PM
After JDU had announced the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi mentioned the attempt to create a joint opposition to Modi Modi) has inflicted the biggest loss
meeting of Opposition parties on in 2024 at the National Press Club in Washington DC during his recent visit (ANI) on the country. Using religion as a
June 12, earlier, DMK chief Stalin cover, he is taking the whole coun-
said he had sought a postponement Patna on Thursday, Bihar Deputy ment”. try down a road where if a person is
of the June 12 meeting, as he would Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said “I agree with what Rahul Gand- not a fan of Modi-ji, he is branded
be busy attending an inaugural cere- that almost 15 parties will attend the hi said. The entire Opposition is a traitor and the rest are patriots. If
mony on the same date. meeting. However, the presence of united and in 2024, we will defeat anyone criticizes PM Modi, ED, IT
“I will be attending the inaugu- Telangana Chief Minister K Chan- the current (BJP) government at and CBI are let loose on him,” Singh
ral ceremony of Mettur Dam on the drashekar Rao was not confirmed the Centre,” Raut said. “This is our alleged.
same date (as the Opposition meet- as Tejashwi Yadav did not have a belief and self-confidence. We will But BJP is pushing against this
ing). It is an important event. Even chance to speak with him. hold each other’s hand and move negative narrative. External Affairs
the Congress president (Mallikarjun The meeting, aimed at laying the forward,” he said. Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday
Kharge) will be held up at a differ- groundwork for the coming together In a related development, vet- slammed Congress leader Rahul
ent event and won’t be able to attend of like-minded Opposition parties eran Congress leader and former Gandhi for his remarks on India’s
the meeting on that day. So, I have against Prime Minister Narendra Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister domestic politics during his visit to
asked for the meeting of Opposition Modi and the BJP government at Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday came the United States and expressed
parties to be pushed back. However, the Centre, was originally scheduled down heavily on Prime Minister Na- confidence that BJP will win the
the DMK will surely participate in to be held on June 12. rendra Modi and the central govern- 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
the meeting,” Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Amid efforts to galvanize rival ment, saying if he returns to power “2024 ka result toh wahi hoga,
said. political forces against the BJP gov- in 2024, only the parties or leaders hamein pata hai. (Everybody knows
Nitish Kumar has been rooting ernment at the Centre with an eye that he approves of will be able to what will be the result of 2024)”,
for Opposition unity since he left the on next year’s Lok Sabha elections, contest the elections in 2029. Jaishankar said at a press conference
National Democratic Alliance and MP Sanjay Raut on Friday support- Singh made the remark at an here in response to a query on Ra-
joined the Grand Alliance to form a ed Rahul Gandhi’s remark on Op- event at Gandhi Bhawan in the state hul Gandhi’s remarks in the United
new government in August last year. position unity and said in 2024, “we capital Bhopal on Wednesday. “If States. Jaishankar, who addressed a
Congress General Secretary KC will defeat the current (BJP) govern- PM Narendra Modi returns to pow- press conference on Modi govern-
Venugopal on Friday confirmed that ment completing nine years, said
party president Mallikarjun Kharge Rahul Gandhi expects that outside
and Rahul Gandhi will attend a support will work in India and if the
meeting of the top Opposition lead- narrative against the BJP-led gov-
ers convened by Bihar Chief Min- ernment does not work in India, it is
ister Nitish Kumar, to mobilize the taken abroad.
opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok “We have democracy in the
Sabha elections. Venugopal said, country, I will have something, you
“Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun will have something. You will have
Kharge will attend the opposition some politics while we will have
meeting in Patna...” He further said some politics. I have no objection to
that it is high time to have unity be- whatever he does inside the coun-
tween the opposition parties “to try but I don’t think taking national
fight against these forces who are ru- politics out of the country is in the
ining the country.” national interest. I don’t feel it will
Nationalist Congress Party increase his credibility,” he added.
Chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday But this criticism notwithstand-
confirmed that he would participate ing, Rahul Gandhi seems to be se-
in the meeting of the Opposition Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav in a meeting with Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh and rious about bringing all Opposition
parties. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence in New Delhi (ANI) parties on a common platform to give
Speaking to mediapersons in a fight to Narendra Modi-led in 2024.

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