NEW DELHI: Welcoming Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s call to take the lead in forging an alliance of opposition parties to defeat the BJP in 2024, the Congress on Sunday said the party is already on the job, adding that no opposition unity is possible without its active participation.
The upcoming Congress plenary session will deliberate on Opposition unity, said Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh. The plenary session in Chhattisgarh’s Nava Raipur will start from February 24 and is expected to be attended by 15,000 delegates.
On Saturday, Nitish Kumar had said he was waiting for a signal from the Congress to bring Opposition parties together. Kumar said the BJP would not be able to cross 100 seats in the 2024 polls if the opposition parties fight together.
While reacting to Nitish, the Congress also took potshots at some of the opposition parties such as the Trinamool for not being on the same page. “We know our role very well. We don’t need to give a certificate to anyone to take the lead role. Because, any attempt towards Opposition unity will be unsuccessful without Congress,” said Ramesh, claiming that the Congress is the only party that never had an alliance with the BJP.
He also accused certain opposition parties of siding with the BJP on critical issues. “Some parties were in agreement with us in demanding a JPC inquiry into the Adani issue. But, some of them demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe. That is a political move to save PM Modi from the crisis,” said Ramesh, while addressing a press conference here on Sunday.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the party has already taken the initiative by inviting like-minded political parties during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. “Certainly, the Congress will play a bigger role as suggested by Nitish Kumar,” he said, adding: “Our main job is to lessen the numbers of the BJP.”