Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, arrived in Patna to attend a mega opposition meeting scheduled for June 22. Invoking Buddha, she urged his teachings to steer India towards the path of peace and compassion amid a nation riven by division. Ms. Mufti visited Bodhgaya in Bihar and shared her experience of the serene and sacred energy at the site where Buddha attained enlightenment under a banyan tree.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann joined Ms. Mufti in Patna and offered prayers at the Patna Sahib Gurudwara. A key opposition meeting will be attended by Congress, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, and Uddhav Thackeray, among others.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will convene a meeting of top opposition leaders as part of his efforts to forge a grand alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government at the Centre ahead of the general elections in 2024.
Posters and banners hailing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Tejashwi Yadav appeared in Patna ahead of the meeting. The Friday meeting aims to lay the groundwork for like-minded opposition parties to come together against the BJP government at the Centre.