NEW DELHI, 19 December 2023: The 28-parties opposition alliance, INDIA has decided to work for a victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a media conference today after the conclusion of a meeting of the alliance, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge answering to a journalist’s question said, We are united and will first work for a victory on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the question of who will lead the alliance will be democratically decided later.
The one day INDIA alliance meeting saw the participation of leaders from 28 opposition parties including Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sitaram Yechury, D. Raja, Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Pawar, among others.
Reports indicate many leaders were eager to have a ‘Dalit leader’ (Mallikarjun Kharge) as the PM face of the INDIA alliance. The meeting criticised the government for suspending 141 opposition MPs from the Parliament and decided to hold rallies across the country on this and other issues.
ANI adds: Kharge also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of arrogance after BJP won three of the five states where elections were held last month.
He also rejected the suggestion to be the prime ministerial face of the INDIA parties.
Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed that Mallikarjun Kharge must be the coordinator of this INDIA team and we will project him as the Prime Minister in the forthcoming elections. But Khargeji rejected this categorically. He said – no need for this suggestion, after the election only we can decide who is the PM. He immediately rejected this point.
However, Kerala Congress leader PJ Joseph said Mamata Banerjee did not take any names and said that it will be good if the alliance projects a “Dalit PM”.
“She did not suggest so. While she spoke, Mamata Banerjee said that it would be good if we could project a Dalit PM. She did not say the name of any person. The matter was not discussed much because she spoke last,” Joseph told ANI.
CPI General Secretary D Raja said that in the meeting it has been decided that first we will take up the issue of suspension of MPs because it is an onslaught on our democracy, it is an attack on our parliamentary system.
“There was a reference to the common minimum program. Now, it has been decided first to take up the issue of suspension of MPs because it is an onslaught on our democracy, it is an attack on our parliamentary system. So there should be protests across the country and the call has been given for a mass protest… Nothing (on the PM candidate)… We have given a call for mass protest across the country in all state headquarters on 22nd (December)… We should conclude the seat-sharing arrangement as early as possible, and we’ll have to put up a strong collective fight against BJP,” D Raja said.
RLD national president Jayant Chaudhary said that, “all the decisions are taken with everyone’s agreement. Whatever has been agreed upon by everyone will be announced in the press conference…”
Commenting on the INDIA alliance meeting, PTI reports, PM Modi has said that some people are meeting today with an aim to dislodge this government, however, our aim should be to work for India’s bright future,”
-With inputs from ANI.
