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NATION JUNE 23, 2023 | The Indian Eye 8

With all eyes on June 23 meeting in Patna, both

BJP and Congress try to put their act together

A section of Congress is in favor of projecting Rahul Gandhi as the face of Opposition while

several other parties want this decision to be taken after the Lok Sabha elections

OUR BUREAU

Patna/New Delhi
n an important development this
week, Bharatiya Janata Party
I(BJP) Bihar Core Group meeting
took place at Union Minister Giriraj
Singh’s residence in Delhi to strength-
en the organization ahead of the Pat-
na Opposition meeting on June 23.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Ku-
mar has called a meeting of top Op-
position leaders to mobilize the oppo-
sition against BJP ahead of the 2024
Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting will be held in Patna
on June 23, JD(U) national president
Lalan Singh said.
The meeting, which is aimed at
laying the groundwork for the coming
together of like-minded Opposition
parties against Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi and the BJP government at
the Centre, was originally scheduled
to be held on June 12.
However, the meeting was post-
poned after several Opposition lead-
ers, including Congress national pres-
ident Mallikarjun Kharge and Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, ex-
pressed their inability to attend the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is trying to bring all Opposition on a common platform in Patna on June 23 (ANI)
meeting on June 12, citing prior en-
gagements and preoccupations.
On June 12, Bihar Deputy Chief Sources said Congress has not Trinamool Congress. Party National President JP Nadda to
Minister Tejashwi Yadav said that been able to find answers to some of In Uttar Pradesh, which sends Bihar at the end of this month, state
there is “no personal interest” of any- the questions likely to crop up during the highest number of MPs to Lok Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Ya-
one in bringing the Opposition parties the meeting. The party’s units in Del- Sabha, there is still no clarity if Con- dav on Thursday said that the BJP
together and that the leaders are do- hi and Punjab have told the leadership gress will go alone or have a tie-up. leaders are visiting the state because
ing this only for the “betterment” of not to support Chief Minister Arvind It is also not clear that in case of a the party is “scared” ever since the
the country. Kejriwal in his efforts to defeat the bill tie-up with Samajwadi Party, how grand alliance was formed.
Speaking to reporters, Tejaswi that the Centre will bring in Parlia- many seats Congress will agree to. “Ever since the Grand Alli-
Yadav said, “We have to fight those ment to replace the ordinance on the A section of Congress is in favor of ance was formed and we have come
people who are destroying democra- control of services in Delhi. Kejriwal projecting Rahul Gandhi as the face with Nitish Kumar, there is panic in
cy, constitution and want to change is keen that the bill gets defeated in of Opposition while several other their (BJP) camp. These people are
history. We do not have any personal the Rajya Sabha and has been meet- parties including Janata Dal-Untied scared,” Yadav said while addressing
interest. We have taken this decision ing opposition leaders. The Congress want this decision to be taken after the reporters here. He further empha-
for the betterment of the country. leadership is apparently facing a di- the Lok Sabha elections. sized that if the entire opposition con-
They (BJP) lost Karnataka and Hi- lemma on the issue. JD(U) national president Rajiv tests elections unitedly, then the BJP
machal Pradesh and will also lose the Congress units in Punjab and Ranjan alias Lalan Singh had said will be ousted from the states where it
upcoming state elections.” Delhi have also told the party leader- that party leader Nitish Kumar is not currently holds power.
As it gears up for meeting of op- ship not to enter into any understand- in the race to become Prime Minister “If the entire opposition contests
position parties to be held in Patna ing on seat-sharing with Aam Aadmi and the decision on the PM candidate elections unitedly, then they are not
on June 23, Congress faces confusion Party. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan would be taken after the Lok Sabha going to last anywhere, these people
and internal pressures in deciding its Chowdhury is a firm critic of Mamata elections. know this and their internal survey is
course of action in the larger objective Banerjee government and the party Meanwhile, referring to the up- also telling them what will be their con-
of opposition unity to defeat the BJP has not categorically stated its stance coming visits of Union Home Minis- dition in different states? This is told
in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. on any possibility of tie up with the ter Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata by a BJP leader,” Tejashwi Yadav said.

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