Ahead of Patna Meet, Opposition's Warm-Up Session In Tamil Nadu

The Opposition -- ahead of its big meet in Patna later this week called for by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar -- is having a practice session in Tamil Nadu, at the birth centenary functions of the late DMK icon and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Nitish Kumar, who was expected to inaugurate the Karunanidhi Museum at Thiruvarur, had to skip the meet on account of ill health. His deputy Tejashwi Yadav did the honours.

At the meet, Karunanidhi's son and Chief Minister MK Stalin reiterated the need for Opposition unity ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

"We all have a responsibility to extinguish the dictatorial fire being spread by the BJP over the last 10 years. Nitish Kumar is working to light the first lamp towards this. I am also going to Patna with your love and trust, as Karunanidhi's general," he said.

Declaring that the country was passing through a critical time, Mr Stalin said if democracy is not protected, "Tamil Nadu with a 3000 or 4000-year history will vanish".

Allowing the BJP to rule will be harmful to Tamils, Tamil Nadu, India and India's future. Secular democratic forces should unite the way we act and win in Tamil Nadu. This kind of unity and coordination ought to happen across India. We need to win. We need unity before victory," he added.

The meet in Patna, due on Friday, is expected to bring key opposition leaders -- many of whom are not o he same page with each other -- on a single platform. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will attend the meet along with Rahul Gandhi. So will Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav -- leaders who do not see eye to eye with the Congress.

The agenda of the meet is expected to include formulating a strategy for the general election. The idea that Mr Kumar, Ms Banerjee and a few others have voted for is one-on-one contest -- which means fielding only one opposition leader against a BJP candidate in a constituency to stop a split in opposition votes.  

Last month, 20 opposition parties, in an unprecedented show of unity, had boycotted the opening ceremony of the new parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's opening of the building was an "insult" to President Droupadi Murmu, the parties had argued.