Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Monday held his party-sponsored All India Federation for Social Justice conference in Delhi which is seen as a major exercise to bring the Opposition parties together ahead of the General Election 2024.
The Tamil Nadu CM made a strong pitch for opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, saying there was "no use in separate voices," and that there should be collective effort towards ensuring federalism, brotherhood, equality and social justice.
In his address at the first conference of the DMK-sponsored All India Federation for Social Justice held in the hybrid mode, he also slammed the ruling BJP in Karnataka for doing away with reservation for Muslims, saying it was done with an eye on the May 10 Assembly polls in that state.
In a meeting attended by top political leaders of the country including the CMs of Rajasthan and Jharkhand, Ashok Gehlot and Hemant Soren, respectively, general secretaries of CPI (M) and CPI, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja and J&K National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Stalin strongly batted for social justice and hit out at the ruling BJP at the Centre for implementing the 10 per cent EWS quota, questioning the logic behind economic status being a criteria to extend the welfare measure.
Calling for collective efforts, he said "we should give voice for ensuring federalism, brotherhood, equality, social justice...this cannot be a mere voice, there is no use of separate voices. It should be a voice of unity, a voice of coalition," the 70-year-old leader said.
"However idealistic an ideology may be, for it to succeed the unity among parties which has accepted the ideology is of great importance. Such a unity is not enough if it is in only a few states. It has to happen in every state. It has to be for the whole of India. It is for that unity federation like this will serve as a foundation. Let us fight together," Stalin said.
Will social justice unite opposition?
Top Opposition leaders, led by DMK chief MK Stalin, took part in a national conference on social justice in Delhi on Monday.
The All India Federation for Social Justice, a brainchild of Stalin, held its first national conference on the theme -- "Taking Forward the Struggle for Social Justice and Joint National Programme for Social Justice Movement". The conference was addressed by several Opposition leaders.
Seen as a display of Opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the conference was attended by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.
Other attendees include Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress), Sanjay Singh (Aam Aadmi Party), CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D Raja, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, Chhagan Bhujbal (Nationalist Congress Party), Manoj Jha (Rashtriya Janata Dal), ET Muhammad Basheer (Indian Union Muslim League), K Keshava Rao (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) and MDMK leader Vaiko.
This is the second attempt of the DMK to unite the Opposition, rallying around Stalin. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Tejashwi Yadav and Farooq Abdullah were among those who were part of the DMK chief's 70th birthday celebrations recently.
(With PTI input)
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