New Delhi: Towards 'forging' opposition unity, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin will chair a conference in the national capital on Monday to which several non-BJP leaders and Chief Ministers have been invited, news agency IANS reported. The theme of the conference is 'Social Justice: The Road Ahead'. The conference will be organized by the All India Social Justice Forum set up by Stalin in 2022.
Going by DMK sources, the conference is expected to see the attendance of non-BJP leaders from around 20 parties, eminent among them being Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.
It is interesting to note that several opposition party leaders who expect themselves to be playing a larger role in national politics ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have chosen not to be present in person for the conference but instead send their representatives. The list includes Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party as well as the BRS and the NCP. However, DMK sources said that this will be a non-political platform to unite people on a common issue.
The DMK which is in coalition with the Congress in Tamil Nadu issued a strong statement against Rahul Gandhi's conviction. Stalin had mentioned that an appeal to the higher courts is awaited. He also questioned the haste with which Rahul was disqualified just the day after his conviction.
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"The Supreme Court should pronounce the final verdict. It seems that the BJP was waiting for this opportunity going by their act of disqualifying Rahul Gandhi within a day of the district court's verdict," Stalin said. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was also at the forefront, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue.
Recently Delhi Chief Minister's plans on G-8, a Group of Eight non-BJP political parties had to be cancelled since his counterparts were apparently 'busy' with the budgetary proceedings at their respective states. According to sources, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan, and MK Stalin were invited to the meeting.
The Congress that is leading the opposition's fight against the BJP, cornering the ruling party on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification and the 'Adani' issue is holding regular meetings with the opposition leaders. The grand old party has also promised to tread cautiously, especially after Rahul Gandhi's 'I am not Savarkar' remark did not go down well with the Uddhav faction of the Shiv Sena, its partner in the Maha Vikas Agadhi coalition in Maharashtra.
