OppositionPatnaMeet: A Historic Gathering of Anti-BJP Forces

 

On June 23, 2023, Patna witnessed a historic gathering of top leaders from 17 opposition parties who came together to chart out a roadmap for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The meeting, hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtra’s former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP president Sharad Pawar and others.

The meeting was seen as a significant step towards forging a united front against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, which the opposition parties accused of undermining democracy, federalism, secularism and social justice. The leaders also expressed their concern over the economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the farmers’ agitation, the rising fuel prices and the border tensions with China and Pakistan.

The meeting lasted for four hours and concluded with a joint press conference where the leaders announced their resolve to work collectively and set aside their differences. They also declared that they would hold another meeting in Shimla next month to finalize their strategy and agenda for the 2024 polls. They stressed that they were acting in the national interest and not for personal or political gains.

The meeting was hailed as a “war cry” against a “fascist and autocratic regime” by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who also praised Nitish Kumar for hosting the event. Mamata Banerjee highlighted the symbolic significance of initiating the meeting in Patna, stating that movements originating there tend to gain momentum. She also said that their love for the country and their dedication to safeguarding its history motivated them to join hands. Rahul Gandhi acknowledged that while differences may exist among the parties, they had made the commitment to collaborate with flexibility and protect their shared ideology.

The meeting was also seen as a boost for Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav, who have been trying to revive their alliance after breaking up in 2017. The two leaders shared cordial gestures and praised each other’s role in Bihar politics. They also welcomed Lalu Prasad, the RJD supremo and Tejashwi’s father, who made his first public appearance after being released from jail on bail.

The OppositionPatnaMeet was widely covered by the national and international media and generated a lot of buzz on social media. Many people expressed their support for the opposition unity and hoped that it would lead to a positive change in the country’s political scenario. However, some also questioned the viability and credibility of such an alliance and wondered how it would overcome the challenges of seat sharing and leadership issues.

The BJP dismissed the meeting as a “photo-op” and a “desperate attempt” by the opposition parties to save their relevance. The party’s national president Amit Shah said that the people of India had rejected these parties repeatedly and would do so again in 2024. He also claimed that the BJP had nothing to fear from such an alliance as it had a strong base across the country and a visionary leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The OppositionPatnaMeet was undoubtedly a landmark event in Indian politics that signalled a new phase of opposition unity against the BJP. Whether it will translate into electoral success or not remains to be seen, but it has certainly raised the stakes and expectations for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.