Shillong, June 23: In a significant development, seventeen opposition parties have come together with the aim of “dethroning the BJP” in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The decision was made during a meeting that lasted over four hours in Patna. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who hosted the meeting, announced that the next gathering would take place in Shimla to discuss the future course of action. The joint press conference was attended by leaders from various parties, including Rahul Gandhi from the Congress.
Nitish Kumar described the meeting as productive and emphasized that the parties had united in the national interest. Other top leaders echoed his sentiments, highlighting the importance of their collaboration.
However, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal was conspicuously absent from the post-meeting press conference. Kejriwal criticized the Congress for its “silence” on the Delhi ordinance issue. The AAP had previously threatened to boycott the opposition meeting unless the Congress pledged its support against the ordinance. The party reiterated that its participation in future meetings would depend on the Congress publicly denouncing the Black Ordinance and ensuring that all 31 of its Rajya Sabha MPs opposed the ordinance.
The AAP issued a statement questioning whether the Congress stood with the people of Delhi or with the Modi government and called for a clear stance. Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier stated that a decision on the ordinance would be made “before Parliament begins,” dismissing the excessive publicity surrounding the issue.