Opposition unity: Chorus rises for Congress to make more sacrifices ahead of 2024 polls

Since the Lok Sabha elections are just a year away, non-Congress opposition leaders are actively holding one-on-one talks to reach a consensus. The chorus is growing among opposition leaders asking the Congress to make more sacrifices to take other parties along with it. Several opposition leaders shared the dais with the Congress during Siddaramaiah’s swearing-in ceremony in Karnataka on Saturday. Leaders present on the occasion included National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Yadav, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, NCP President Sharad Pawar, actor-politician Kamal Haasan were involved. CPI General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI General Secretary D Raja participated in this program.

neglect of regional satraps

However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav (Uttar Pradesh), Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Reddy, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik And his absence at the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao event was prominent. These states account for about 225 Lok Sabha seats and are significant because regional parties are strong in all of these states except Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 parliamentary seats. Significantly, Congress did not invite Chandrashekhar Rao, Naveen Patnaik, Jagan Mohan and Arvind Kejriwal and BSP chief Mayawati.

Mehboob Mufti warned Congress

Reacting to the absence of Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal during Karnataka’s swearing-in ceremony, PD chief Mufti today said Congress will have to make more sacrifices, otherwise there are other options. Mufti was indirectly hinting at a Third Front if the Congress fails to accept the conditions of the regional parties. While the Congress has stopped short of voicing its support for Kejriwal in the AAP vs Center row, Mehbooba Mufti has backed the Aam Aadmi Party, saying it is a wake-up call for all be it anywhere in the country. Could He said that while Karnataka has shown a ray of hope, whatever happened in Jammu and Kashmir is going to happen in the whole country because the BJP does not want the opposition.

Nitish supported AAP against the Center

Delhi CM Kejriwal also got support from Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who is trying to support all opposition against BJP. Kumar today met the Delhi Chief Minister at his residence in New Delhi and extended support to the AAP government in its ongoing dispute with the Center over control of administrative services, including transfers and postings of Grade A officers. Bihar Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also accompanied Kumar in the meeting.

Mamta Banerjee’s formula

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has recently shared a tentative seat-sharing formula where she offered over 200 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress and urged that the Congress should allow regional parties to contest the seats where they are strong. Banerjee also said that the Congress needed to make more sacrifices to adjust with the regional parties. Former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav also supported Banerjee’s assessment, saying that the Congress should support regional parties in areas where they are strong. While Banerjee recently met Bihar CM Kumar and Odisha CM Patnaik separately, Patnaik openly said that no third front was discussed during the meeting.

Optics won’t work: Sibal

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday said that opposition unity requires more than optics. He said, “Siddaramaiah swearing in ceremony: Is it a sign of opposition unity, with a large number of leaders present? My view: Opposition unity requires much more than optics of this nature. Meeting of the minds A common agenda, there is a need to sacrifice partisan interests,” he said. , While Sibal is correct in his assessment, it is the Congress high command that first needs to understand whether the grand old party wants to defeat the mighty BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where Narendra Modi will contest for a third consecutive term as prime minister.