Sibal hosts Opposition dinner; discusses united anti-BJP front for 2024
Congress MP Kapil Sibal on Monday hosted a dinner meeting of leaders of major Opposition and non-BJP parties at his residence, 8, Teen Murti Lane. The leaders reportedly discussed the strategy to work together ahead of the 2024 general elections to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The dinner meeting was called a day after Sibal's 73rd birthday. Here's all that happened.
Who attended the dinner meeting?
The meeting was attended by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, National Conference's Omar Abdullah, Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien and Kalyan Banerjee, CPM's Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja. AAP's Sanjay Singh, RLD's Jayant Chaudhary, DMK's Tiruchi Siva, BJD's Pinaki Misra, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, SAD's Naresh Gujral, and TDP and YSRCP representatives also attended the meet.
Congress' G-23 also attended the meeting; BSP skipped
Notably, BJD, TDP, YSRCP, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) are not part of the Opposition grouping formed in Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session. At least 20 of the Congress' dissenting leaders—dubbed the "G-23," who raised concerns over the party's failing leadership to Sonia Gandhi last year—also attended the meeting. The only major non-BJP party that was absent was Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party.
Apart from 2024, upcoming UP elections also discussed
While the agenda of the meeting was to unite the Opposition to take on the BJP in 2024, the meeting also discussed the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, considered the "semi-finals" to the 2024 general elections. G-23 leaders reportedly stressed that the Opposition should not fight against each other in UP and should instead unitedly support Akhilesh Yadav, who is challenging the BJP.
Sharad Pawar backed one-on-one contest in 2024
NCP's Sharad Pawar reportedly advised the Opposition to follow a strategy of the one-on-one contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said the united Opposition should field one common candidate against BJP in a particular constituency. He also cited Maharashtra as an example of successful Opposition unity. "Who would have thought that the NCP, Congress, and Sena can work together?'' Pawar reportedly said.
What did other leaders say in the meeting?
TMC MP Derek O'Brien reportedly put forward the example of Mamata Banerjee's spectacular victory against the BJP in West Bengal. Akali Dal's Gujral said that Congress needs to "free itself from the clutches of the family (Gandhis)." NC's Omar Abdullah also expressed concerns about continuing turmoil in Congress. Congress' Manish Tiwari said the united Opposition is required to "keep the idea of India alive."
Leaders remembered historical significance of 8, Teen Murti Lane
Both Lalu Prasad Yadav and CPI-M's Yechury remembered the significance of 8, Teen Murti Lane, once the epicenter of numerous Third Front formation efforts in the 1990s. It was then the residence of a master tactician, CPI-M's Harkishan Singh Surjeet, known for his role in bringing together Congress and the Left to form the United Progressive Alliance, which ultimately came to power in 2004.
