Top leaders of about 18 political parties are going to be in the Bihar capital to send a powerful signal to people that there is an alternative to the RSS-led BJP whose government in the last 9 years has ruined the country’s economy resulting in massive unemployment and unprecedented price rise of the essential commodities.
The Patna conclave, the first in the series of many, is also likely to come out with a ‘joint statement of intent’ of the participating parties and the drafting of such a communique is being discussed among the potential players.
The sources said that during the conclave, a decision will also be taken to form a subcommittee at state-levels to look after the work of the Opposition unity. The date for the next Opposition meeting will also be discussed.
Leaders are exploring the possibility of holding the next meeting to be hosted by the Congress in Delhi rather than Shimla, as the leaders do not want to give an impression that it is avoiding the national capital and giving credence to rumours about some parties’ antipathy to the grand old party.
A final decision on the date and venue of the next meeting will be taken at the Patna meeting, as some parties like Trinamool Congress still find it difficult to be a guest of the Congress.
Sources said the main aim of the “preliminary” meeting in Patna is to project a show of solidarity and purpose, which would be followed by meetings at national and state levels.
To ensure that leaders do not speak on cross purposes, sources said, there is a demand for circulating a draft statement of intent and getting the concurrence of all parties before the conclave
The statement, sources said, could explain why they were meeting. It will include points on the rationale behind their fight against the BJP, the need to save the Constitution, fighting communal polarisation and issues on which they could take on the RSS driven BJP.
The leaders are also likely to deliberate on how to take forward the Opposition unity at national level to the state level, to maximise the pooling of anti-BJP votes. “At the end, whatever unity, we have to make it work at the state level. A roadmap has to be prepared, a senior leader said.
While a section has mooted forming smaller committees, some leaders have expressed their reservations about such a move as it would lead to competitive claims for seats in such panels and it would be counterproductive.
Among the notables who are going to attend the meeting include Congress chief Malikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Delhi chief ministers M K Stalin, Mamata Banerjee, Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackerey, CPM and CPI general secretaries Sitaram Yehcury and D Raja. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Yadav is also going to attend the meeting.
Meanwhile Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday that his formula to defeat the ruling BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is. PDA. PDA — Pichde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak (Backward Classes, Dalits, Minorities) — will deafeat NDA, he said at the NDTV conclave in Lucknow.
Skirting pointed questions on his party’s view of a grand united Opposition front for next year’s general elections, Yadav maintained his only slogan for Uttar Pradesh is “Defeat 80, Remove BJP”.
“The BJP will be defeated in all 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP if bigger national parties back us,” Akhilesh Yadav said, stressing that he has always maintained that the seat distribution should be decided keeping in mind whichever alliance partner is strongest in a particular state.
Keeping his cards close to his chest, Yadav cited his party’s earlier alliances with the Congress and Mayawati’s BSP for the state and national elections, claiming the Samajawadi Party has always been an honest and accommodating alliance partner.
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