Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said that the opposition leaders may meet in Patna once the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls were over as many leaders were busy electioneering in the poll bound state. "We will definitely sit together and discuss the issue pertaining to the formation of an alliance of opposition parties to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Currently, some leaders are busy in the assembly poll (Karnataka). Once it is over, we will finalize the venue of our meeting. If Patna is unanimously decided as the next venue of the meeting of opposition leaders, it will be held here," Kumar said. The Bihar CM was talking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav at his Patna residence to enquire about his health.
Kumar said that he will be “happy to organize this meeting (of opposition leaders) in Patna”. The Bihar CM's hint at the proposed opposition leaders' meeting in Patna comes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after meeting Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, in Kolkata on Apr. 24, requested him to organise a meeting of all non-BJP parties in Patna to discuss opposition unity before the coming Lok Sabha elections.
Kumar, acknowledging the friendly demand by his TMC counterpart said "Unhone--Mamta Banerjee--to Bola Hin Tha Patna mein meeting ke liye ( Mamata Banerjee had sought the meeting in Patna)." Kumar said that they are making efforts to unite “more and more parties in the country against the BJP-led central government”.
“I recently met several opposition leaders. Now I will talk to other non BJP parties ... My aim is to unite opposition parties before the general elections," he said. After meeting Mamta, Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi had met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on the same day and discussed the formation of an alliance of opposition parties.
Kumar and his deputy Yadav had also met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on Apr. 12. Later, Kumar met Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who had conceded that it was "extremely necessary" that the entire opposition and the country came together and change the government at the Centre.
The Bihar CM has on several occasions in the past, appealed to all opposition parties, including the Congress, to join hands to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Kumar while speaking at the 11th general convention of the Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) Liberation or CPI-ML said that a united front would be able to reduce the BJP to less than 100 seats.
