Trinamool calls opposition meeting in Patna a ‘good beginning’

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday described Friday’s opposition meet in Patna a “good beginning” ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections and also to unite against the BJP’s “undemocratic and authoritarian policies”.

Leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Sharad Pawar, Mehbooba Mufti, Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal are expected to take part in the meeting convened by Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, who dumped the BJP last year.

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Banerjee will be accompanied by TMC national general secretary and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee for the opposition meeting.

“A good beginning… All parties working to save the Constitution are on the same page on many issues. For now, we have a date, a venue and an agreement that the head of every party will attend the meeting,” TMC’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek Obrien said.

“Subsequently, the date and venue for the next meeting will be decided in Patna. Beyond this, it is not advisable for anyone to jump the gun and speculate,” he said.

Why unity?

The idea of hosting a meeting of opposition leaders in Patna was floated by Banerjee, who had invoked the memory of Jayaprakash Narayan upon meeting Nitish Kumar in Kolkata in April.

The aim should be to ensure that the opposition unity takes shape at the earliest as less than a year is left before the 2024 general elections, senior TMC leader Sukhendu Shekhar Roy told PTI.

“The BJP has destroyed democracy and is trying to subvert the Constitution. If the parties opposed to the BJP fail to come together to put up a united fight, it will be unfortunate for the country,” he said.

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Asked if the issue of leadership of the opposition front would derail their efforts, Roy said: “Only media and BJP are bothered about this. Neither the opposition parties nor the people are bothered about the leadership issue.”

After the Congress victory in Karnataka, the TMC chief said her party would support the grand old party where it is strong in the Lok Sabha polls but would expect a seat-sharing formula to give priority to regional players in areas where they are strong.

The BJP has dubbed the Friday opposition meeting a futile exercise.

(With agency inputs)