The top Opposition leaders reached Patna to attend an Opposition meeting to discuss the strategy to form an anti-BJP bloc to fight the ruling party at Centre. However, there are some hurdles in the way to achieve a united Opposition front ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024. AAP, which wants to stop a Centre's ordinance on the transfer and posting of officials in Delhi, sought support from Congress but the grand old party yet did not give any clear answer. However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday ahead of Patna meet said a decision on whether to oppose the Centre's ordinance would be taken before the Parliament session.
"All of us (Opposition parties) want to fight against the BJP unitedly; ending their rule is our agenda," he added. His remarks come a day after the AAP's ultimatum that it may walk out of the Opposition meeting in Patna if the Congress does not promise its support over the issue.
Kharge asserted his party would take a decision on it before Parliament's Monsoon session and wondered why it was being talked about elsewhere when it was a matter that pertains to Parliament.
"Opposing it or proposing it does not happen outside, it happens in Parliament. Before Parliament begins, all parties decide what issues they have to work on together. They (AAP) know it and even their leaders come to our all-party meetings. I don't know why there is so much publicity about it outside," Kharge said.
"About 18-20 parties decide together on what to oppose and what to accept. So instead of saying anything now, we will take a decision before Parliament begins," he said.
Keeping cards close to its chest, the Congress has so far kept its stand ambiguous as to whether it would support the AAP or not when the ordinance is put to test in Parliament by the BJP-led Centre.
Congress leaders Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Delhi counterpart Kejriwal, Punjab's Bhagwant Mann, Tamil Nadu's M K Stalin, Jharkhand's Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtra's former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, and NCP president Sharad Pawar are among the leaders expected to attend it.
(With PTI inputs)
