Opposition meet in Patna postponed at Congress request: CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's opposition meeting in Patna appears to be jinxed since the beginning. It was first proposed on May 19, but the Karnataka Cabinet swearing-in became a hurdle. Later, it could not be be held in last week of May and now the June 12 meeting is also postponed.

Patna (Bihar) : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said the June 12 meeting of the Opposition parties in Patna is being postponed as the Congress leaders have intimated that they are unable to attend the meeting on that day. The next day for holding this meeting will be finalised only after taking everyone's consent as everyone's presence is mandatory, Nitish Kumar has clarified.

The Bihar CM said that whatever decision regarding this meeting would be taken only after talking to each other and the same would be intimated to everyone. "A request was made from the Congress side that their National President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi could not attend the meeting on the 12th, as their program was already fixed, due to which they would not be able to come. After the request of the Congress, this meeting was postponed," he said.

Nitish further said that they would like the meeting to be held this month itself and as soon as possible, but everyone's consent should also be taken on this meeting and everyone's presence should also be mandatory. He asserted that they had got the support of maximum parties, but they had not yet received the consent of the Congress party.

The Bihar CM said that when they talked to Congress yesterday, they said that the meeting should be postponed from the 12th. According to sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would be unable to come to Patna on 12th June because of his foreign visit. Along with this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin was also unable to come to Patna, so the date of 12th has been deferred.

Since the beginning, the joint meeting of the country's opposition was being postponed because of some hitch or the other. Earlier this meeting was to be held on May 19, but after the Karnataka assembly elections and the formation of the Congress government there, it was postponed because of the swearing-in ceremony of the Siddaramaiah Cabinet there.

After this, this meeting was to be held in the last week of May, but the meeting could not be held. Then the new date was given on 12 June. All the parties had also agreed on this date, but now it is being said that a request has been made by Congress to postpone this meeting. When Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was asked when the next meeting will be decided or whether it will be held in Patna, he evaded replies.