Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan, and Member of Parliament Raghav Chaddha have arrived in Patna on Thursday evening to attend a significant opposition meeting scheduled for Friday. The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also arrived earlier to attend the meeting. Mufti was the first opposition leader to arrive in Bihar for the unity meet.
Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress chief, met with RJD President Lalu Prasad in the afternoon, stating that Lalu Ji is still strong enough to fight the BJP after the meeting. She added that Lalu Ji is a senior leader, and she respects him a lot. She mentioned that he stayed in jail for an extended period and, due to his illness, even stayed in the hospital for a long time. She expressed happiness seeing him healthy, pointing out that he is a strong man who would fight the BJP.
The leaders’ visit to Patna comes as part of the efforts to unite the opposition parties against the BJP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The meeting in Patna is seen as a significant step towards that direction. Leaders from various parties, including Congress, Trinamool, RJD, NCP, DMK, Shiv Sena, and Samajwadi Party, are expected to attend the meeting.
The gathering in Patna is likely to focus on the opposition’s strategy against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, which are less than three years away. It is also known that the deliberations will include discussion on the recent assembly election results, the Covid-19 crisis, and the ongoing farmers’ protest against the three farm laws.
The opposition leaders’ meeting in Patna has been attracting media attention, with many speculating that it could be the beginning of a new political front to challenge BJP’s dominance in Indian politics. However, the opposition leaders have not yet released any official statement on their plans for the future or the purpose of the meeting.
Overall, the opposition’s meeting in Patna is a crucial event in Indian politics, and it remains to be seen how it would shape the country’s political landscape in the years to come.
