It'll be BJP vs 15 in 2024 LS polls: Oppn parties resolve to stay united

Emerging from their four-hour ice-breaking meeting in Patna on Friday evening, 32 leaders from 15 political parties kick-started their collaboration for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, resolving to unitedly fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a spirit of accommodating mutual interests.

A brief spat, which an Opposition leader dubbed a “misunderstanding” that lasted barely seven minutes, between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, however, threatened to unsettle unity efforts. Kejriwal insisted the Congress join his party to publicly denounce the Centre's ordinance on Delhi bureaucrats at the Patna meeting. He later skipped the joint press conference of the leaders and his party issued a stinging statement against the Congress.

At the meeting, the leaders said they would protest in one voice any vendetta of the Centre against their parties and meet again in Shimla in the second week of July to discuss the future course of action, including initiating a discussion on a common agenda.

Several leaders mooted strengthening the index of opposition unity, or IoU, sacrificing their claims on seats to ensure “one-versus-one” contests in the greater interest.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he attended the meeting without “memory” of past likes or dislikes and prejudices. He said the Congress would do its utmost to sustain Opposition unity. Hinting that he could be open to seat sharing with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav said he hailed from the state that sent the most MPs to the Lok Sabha and would show large-heartedness in looking at alliances.

Yadav said all parties attending the meeting were like-minded in their inclination towards the Congress and were anti-BJP. In his reaction to the Opposition meeting in Patna, Union Home Minister Amit Shah dubbed it a “photo session”.

“All I want to say to these opposition leaders is that your unity is nearly impossible and even if it gets real, please come in front of the people as in 2024, Modi’s return with 300 plus seats is confirmed,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah told a public rally in Jammu.

Earlier in the day, the Congress leadership at the meeting -- Kharge and Rahul Gandhi -- didn't proffer any assurance to Kejriwal on the Ordinance issue, with the Congress president promising to take it up at the Opposition strategy meeting before the Monsoon session. Kharge also flagged comments by an AAP spokesperson alleging the Congress had a deal with the BJP.

Kejriwal skipped the subsequent press briefing, and his party issued a statement condemning the Congress' “silence” on the issue. Opposition sources attributed this to the AAP’s political compulsions in Delhi and the Congress not heeding its request that Gandhi gives Kejriwal an audience. They maintained the AAP was very much on board.

Trinamool Congress President and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee intervened between Kharge and Kejriwal, requesting them to resolve the differences in the coming days. Sources said the leaders of the Congress and the AAP could meet soon. At the press conference, Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had convened the meeting, sought to downplay the AAP's absence. “Those who had to catch an early flight could not stay back for the press conference. Don’t fixate on that. Pay attention to how many parties have joined us in our endeavour,” Kumar said. He further stressed if Opposition parties stand united in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP’s tally could be brought down to below 150.

According to a leader present at the meeting, in his comments, Kejriwal said it wasn't the time to expand parties and committed that the AAP would not do so until 2024. The Congress had accused the AAP in the recent past of trying to dent it in states, such as Gujarat and Goa. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, chief of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, suggested a “one-size-fits-all” unity formula was not feasible. He said it should be tailored according to the electoral situation of each state.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad said the largest party in a state should determine the contours of the alliance, such as the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other states, or the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. Kejriwal and others suggested ensuring one-versus-one formula against the BJP and that the parties should be willing to sacrifice seats for allies in the larger interest.

Banerjee said the answer to the question of who would be the PM if not Modi was that the battle is Modi versus the people of India. When asked to speak first as they represented the largest party, Congress' Kharge and Gandhi said they would rather listen to the rest and speak last. Gandhi said “flexibility” was the need of the hour, as was shaping the public discourse and holding meetings with goal-oriented agenda.