Lucknow: As of this writing (June 22), only the Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh will be represented at Friday's opposition leaders' meeting in Patna, as BSP supremo Mayawati was not invited and Rashtriya Lok Dal chairman Jayant Chaudhary would not be able to attend owing to a family commitment.
The conference, however, was hoped to be a "important milestone in the path of opposition unity" by Chaudhary.
Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar and head of the Janata Dal (United), has called for a meeting of opposition parties to plot a common plan for defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the SP, has been calling for a united front against the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections.
On Thursday, Mayawati criticised the parties that have committed to attending the opposition conclave, calling it a "hands-on" meeting rather than a "hearts-and-minds" gathering.
The leader of the BSP was not asked to attend the opposition group's gathering.
We have invited those parties that are committed to fight against the BJP in 2024," JDU chief spokesperson K C Tyagi told PTI. If the BSP has already stated that it would not join the coalition, there is no use in extending an invitation.
According to Mayawati, the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh give the impression that they are not committed to their goal.
To win elections, 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh are considered crucial, but it's unclear that the opposition parties are committed to this strategy. Will the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections here truly bring about the essential transformation without the appropriate priorities? she asked.
It would have been better, the ex-chief minister of Uttar Pradesh added, if these parties had tried to instill widespread trust in the people with clear intentions as they prepare for the next Lok Sabha elections.
How long can we expect "muh me Ram bagal me chhuri" (publicly praising Ram while privately criticising him) to continue? She continued.
A "predetermined family programme" prevented RLD leader Chaudhary from attending the meeting.
On Thursday, the RLD's official Twitter account released a letter from Chaudhary to Kumar in which he said, "The way authoritarian and communal forces are posing a threat to democracy and social harmony in the country, it is the necessity of the hour to join the opposition parties of the same ideology. The entire opposition can provide a far-reaching, practical proposal to the public by highlighting the country's most pressing concerns and difficulties.
He argued that by working together, "we can bring a meaningful change in the country" that will fulfil the hopes of the country's youth, women, farmers, and the poor.
The head of the RLD remarked, "I am sure that this meeting will prove to be an important milestone in the path of opposition unity." In order to plan the development of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the top leaders of Opposition parties will meet on Friday in Patna.
Among the expected attendees at the first high-level opposition meeting are Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her Delhi counterpart and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, and NCP president Sharad Pawar.—Inputs from Agencies