In boost for Oppn unity, Nitish gets green signal from Mamata, Akhilesh amid call to rekindle JP stir

Addressing a joint press conference with Akhilesh, Nitish said efforts will continue to bring together as many Opposition parties as possible in order to “oust the BJP from power” in 2024.

The Bihar CM alleged that the Narendra Modi-led BJP dispensation was not doing any welfare work and was just riding on publicity. He charged that efforts are being made to change the history of the country.

While both Nitish and Akhilesh made a pitch for uniting the Opposition to help the country “get rid of the BJP”, Nitish also claimed that he was not in the race to lead the Opposition front, maintaining that the priority would remain on getting all the parties united. “Humko nahi banna hai… hum to sirf ek jut karne mein lage hain…apne liye nahi chaiye, desh ke hit mein kaam karenge” (I do not want to become… I am only engaged in uniting all Opposition parties… Not for myself but in the country’s interest), he said when asked who would be the Opposition’s face.

Stating that there is an “old relationship between the people of Bihar and UP and especially with Samajwadies”, Nitish said, “Milkarke kaam karenge yeh baat ho gayi hai (It has been agreed that we will work together).”

On his part, Akhilesh also went after the BJP, saying the Opposition would together oust the BJP from power to “save democracy, constitution and the country”.

Raking up the unemployment crisis and alleging that different sections including farmers, poor and labourer have been suffering due to the BJP government’s “wrong policies”, the SP chief said: “BJP ko hatane ke liye hum aap logon ke sath hain… BJP hate desh bache is abhiyan mein hum sath hain (To oust BJP we are together so that the country is saved, we are together in this campaign).”

Nitish evaded a question whether he would also meet BSP chief Mayawati, adding that he was meeting Akhilesh at present.

Asked if he was following in the footsteps of socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan or JP in uniting the Opposition, Nitish said that they are all JP’s disciples.

Earlier in the day, Nitish and Tejashwi reached Kolkata and held a meeting with Mamata, with the leaders stressing on the need for the Opposition to unite against the BJP.

At a press conference at the Bengal government secretariat in Nabanna afterwards, Mamata said, “Opposition parties will sit together and decide the next course of action. If our vision and mission is clear, nothing will be able to stop us.”

“I have requested Nitish ji that just like during the JP movement which began from Bihar in the 1970s, another meeting (of all Opposition parties) should take place in that state. A message should go out that the Opposition is together. After that, we can decide on the manifesto and other details… We are in touch with all other Opposition parties and there is no ego clash,” she said.

Mamata also praised the work done by Nitish and Tejashwi in Bihar, and said she had a “fruitful discussion on developmental and political matters” with them.

Nitish too said they had a “fruitful discussion” and praised Mamata. “I have had a long-standing relationship with Didi (Mamata). Today, when I came here, I was amazed to see the progress that Kolkata has made. The kind of development that the state government has brought to Bengal is commendable. We held a political discussion with Didi, where we decided that all political parties should unite and fight against the BJP together. We will have more such discussions, and decide on the future course of action,” he said.

Targeting the Modi government, Nitish said, “Whatever we decide should be for the benefit of our nation. Currently, the party that is governing our country does not care about development. All they care about is politics and politics alone, while the country’s development has taken a back seat. You see the kind of development that Kolkata and Bengal has made? Has all this been done by Delhi? It is all the Bengal government’s handiwork. If you look at the history of our nation, those who didn’t take part in our freedom struggle are today hell-bent on changing its history.”

Mamata also took aim at the BJP, and reiterated that the party must be defeated. “I have always said that BJP should be brought down to zero. They have become huge heroes with the help of the media and the fake narratives that they push day in and day out. All they indulge in are jumlas (trickery) and goondaism. We are also talking to other Opposition parties across the country and there is no issue of any ego clash. We all want to work together collectively, and this is the message that we are sending out today.”

The BJP called the attempts at Opposition unity an “alliance of the corrupt”. The party’s Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, charged: “Corruption United Front has formed. Chairman Mamata Banerjee and convener Arvind Kejriwal. This alliance is a half-hearted alliance. It has no direction.”

Mamata had met Akhilesh at her Kolkata residence last month. At that time, both leaders had said that their parties would contest the 2024 elections on their own, and would not align with the Congress. She later also held a meeting with Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik at his Bhubaneswar house.

Recently, Nitish and Tejashwi had also met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, following which the Bihar leaders also met Delhi CM and AAP supremo Kejriwal.