By India Today News Desk: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is on a mission to unite Opposition parties ahead of Lok Sabha polls next year, will meet Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray today. Nitish Kumar will be accompanied by his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, JDU national president Lalan Singh and another party leader Sanjay Jha.
They will leave for Mumbai at 10 am, and will visit Uddhav Thackeray’s residence at 12 noon, and later meet Sharad Pawar at his home.
NITISH ON ‘OPPOSITION JODO MISSION’
On Wednesday (May 10), Nitish Kumar met his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren in Ranchi and said their talks centred around forming a “united opposition” to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The JDU de-facto leader along with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav held a discussion with Soren for around one hour at the latter’s residence here.
“Our talks centred around forming a united opposition and the result of the discussion will be visible in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections…We talked about the country’s politics and will work together for development,” Kumar told reporters after the meeting.
“We will oppose attempts by the Centre to make changes in history. We will also restore Hindu-Muslim unity,” Kumar, the JD(U) leader, said.
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NITISH CALLS ON NAVEEN PATNAIK
The Janata Dal (United) supreme leader has been meeting Opposition leaders to strengthen the bloc against BJP ahead of the 2024 polls. He met his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday in Bhubaneswar.
However, both the CMs claimed that no discussion on any political alliance between the JD(U) and BJD for the Lok Sabha elections next year was held in the meeting.
Naveen Patnaik is known for maintaining a deliberate distance from any political party, whether it is led by the BJP or Congress. He is also perceived as being amicable towards any political formation at the national level.
Naveen Patnaik and Nitish Kumar share an amicable relationship and were cabinet colleagues in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Earlier, Nitish Kumar also met West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, where they stressed on the need for Opposition parties to unite against the BJP.
ALSO READ | Bihar CM Nitish Kumar meets Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik, claims no talk on alliance
Nitish, who also been working towards Opposition unity against the BJP, also hinted that a meeting of Opposition leaders may take place in Patna after the Karnataka polls. The JD (U) supremo said issues related to forging opposition unity could be expected to be thrahed outat this meeting.
He had also met with Congress’s top leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
Kumar had caught the national imagination with his pitch for a “united opposition” which, he believes, can take on and defeat the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha polls.
The JD(U) supreme leader, who had stunned the BJP last year when he snapped ties and stripped it of power, is coming to Mumbai at a time when the western state is witnessing political turbulence.
‘COMMON MINIMUM PROGRAM TO BE WORKED OUT’
A common minimum programme of the Opposition will be prepared ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar said on Saturday. “I will participate in bringing the opposition parties together by creating a common minimum programme,” he said.
“Our outlook is that an alternative (to the BJP government) is needed in the country. Those who wish to contribute to it, be it Nitish or Mamata (West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress leader), in my view we all need to work together for the same,” the NCP chief had said.
(With inputs from PTI and Shashi Bhushan)
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