New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar and veteran Maharashtra politician Sharad Pawar met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday evening in what is being viewed as efforts of unity by the opposition to counter BJP in the 2024 general elections.
In the meeting held at Kharge's residence, Pawar pledged to take forward opposition unity efforts and bring other parties together which are not part of the process. Welcoming Pawar, Kharge said "we are happy that he has come here directly from Mumbai and guided us." "Yesterday we along with Rahul ji had talks with Nitish ji and Tejashwi ji that all parties should unite to save the country, democracy and protect the Constitution, besides ensuring freedom of speech and expression, providing employment to youth and checking inflation and misuse of autonomous bodies.
"We have decided to unite together and fight and we will talk to all the parties one after the other. Yesterday we met two parties and today Pawar sahib has come and we have decided that we will meet everyone, talk to them and move forward unitedly," Kharge told reporters. "I want that we should all work together in the nation's interest and this is what Pawar sahib wants and said that all the like-minded parties should unite," the Congress chief also said.
Pawar said all the parties have the same thinking, "but, mere thinking will not help and efforts should be made for unity". "There are some political parties who have similar ideologies, efforts should be made to bring them together and Kharge is the leader of opposition and he has made this effort which will benefit everyone. This is the beginning. After this, other opposition parties such as Mamata Banerjee's TMC or Arvind Kejriwal's AAP or other parties with whom talks have not taken place, efforts should be made to bring them together under this process for unity," he said after the meeting.
Rahul Gandhi also said, "What Kharge ji and Pawar ji have said that this process of uniting the opposition has started. This is a beginning and all parties are committed towards this process." Kharge later tweeted a picture with Pawar and Rahul Gandhi. "Stronger, together! We stand united for a better, brighter and an equal future for our people. Along with Shri Rahul Gandhi ji met NCP President, Shri Sharad Pawar ji and had a discussion on the future course of action," Kharge also tweeted.
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Stronger, together !
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 13, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
We stand united for a better, brighter and an equal future for our people.
Along with Shri @RahulGandhi ji met @NCPspeaks President, Shri @PawarSpeaks ji and had a discussion on the future course of action. pic.twitter.com/EIMPtA15cM
">Stronger, together !
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 13, 2023
We stand united for a better, brighter and an equal future for our people.
Along with Shri @RahulGandhi ji met @NCPspeaks President, Shri @PawarSpeaks ji and had a discussion on the future course of action. pic.twitter.com/EIMPtA15cMStronger, together !
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) April 13, 2023
We stand united for a better, brighter and an equal future for our people.
Along with Shri @RahulGandhi ji met @NCPspeaks President, Shri @PawarSpeaks ji and had a discussion on the future course of action. pic.twitter.com/EIMPtA15cM
Pawar, who returned from Maharashtra this evening, will hold further deliberations with other parties to bring opposition unity. Pawar's meeting comes days after his U-turn to JPC in Adani row. His meeting with Rahul comes amid Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's opposition unity bid in the national capital. Efforts by some opposition parties to forge an alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party have begun over the past few days, with Nitish meeting Kharge and Rahul on Wednesday and Communist Party of India's D Raja on Thursday.
Aam Aadmi Pary leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too had met Kumar. who was accompanied by Bihar Deputy CM and RLD leader Tejashwi Yadav, on Wednesday. (Agency inputs)
