RLD, BSP Chiefs Skips Opposition Parties’ Meeting In Patna

Jayant Chaudhary, the president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), has informed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that he will not be able to attend the Opposition meeting in Patna due to a pre-scheduled family event.

The RLD, an ally of the Samajwadi Party, has been experiencing differences with the SP over seat sharing in the recent Uttar Pradesh Urban Local Body elections. However, RLD leaders have stated that the differences have now been resolved.

The meeting in Patna is significant as top leaders of Opposition parties are expected to come together to discuss the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The leaders attending the meeting include

• Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge,
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi,
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee,
• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal,
• Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren,
• Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav,
• Maharashtra former CM Uddhav Thackeray, and
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar.

Sources suggest that the meeting will focus on finding common ground and creating a roadmap for Opposition unity, rather than delving into contentious issues such as seat sharing and leadership.

The leaders are expected to discuss issues to collectively oppose the BJP, including the recent violence in Manipur and the alleged failure of the central government in handling the situation.

Jayant Chaudhary’s absence from the meeting adds to the list of notable figures who will not be present. Another significant absentee is Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati, who reportedly did not receive an invitation according to the Janata Dal (United).

The meeting is being hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

The Opposition meeting is seen as a crucial step towards forming a united front against the BJP, and it is expected to send a positive message of unity.

However, some parties, such as the Telangana-based Bharat Rashtra Samithi, the Biju Janata Dal of Odisha, the BSP, and the YSR Congress Party, are likely to skip the meeting.

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The absence of RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary, along with BSP leader Mayawati as well as some other opposition parties, from this meeting in Patna raises questions about the level of participation and coordination among the opposition parties in their efforts to challenge the BJP in the upcoming elections.

However several netizens are reacting differently on the different social media platforms. They’re posting that the Modi government has collected all the garbage at one place, under the Swachhata Abhiyaan.