On Opposition Meet, Bihar BJP Leader's Swipe: "Ye Jo Baraat Lagi Hai, Usme..."

Taking a jibe at the opposition leaders who are scheduled to meet in Patna today to forge a united Opposition front to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sushil Modi said, "Ye Jo Baraat Lagi Hai, Usme Sabhi Dulhe Hain, Baraati Koi Nahi hai (This is a wedding procession in which everyone is a groom, but there are no guests)".

He pointed out that Nitish Kumar had organised an event where everyone seemed to be "projecting themselves as contenders".

"Nitish Ji ne aisi baraat lagaai hai, jisme sab dulhe hain. Everyone is busy making others accept their conditions. (Arvind) Kejriwal has threatened that he would not attend the meeting until the Congress announced cooperation on the ordinance issue. It is possible that some consensus has also been reached," Mr Modi said.

Sushil Modi also questioned whether Mr Kejriwal would be willing to share seats with the Congress in Delhi and Punjab, despite attending the opposition meeting.

"Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joining the opposition meeting along with Congress, but will he forge a seat-sharing pact with the grand old party in Delhi and Punjab," Sushil Modi questioned.

"Kejriwal may have gone to meet Nitish Kumar today, but will he leave seats for Congress in Punjab and Delhi?" he asked.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who arrived in Patna for the meeting, expressed her belief that opposition parties would collectively fight the BJP at the national level in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, likening them to a united family.

On her arrival in Patna, Ms Banerjee called on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch and former Bihar CM Lalu Yadav and his son and current Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

Speaking to reporters in the Bihar capital, Mamata Banerjee said, "It was wonderful to meet Lalu Prasad Yadav-ji. He is a senior leader. Unfortunately, he was in jail for so many days and then was hospitalised for a long time. It was good to see him. I cannot share the details of the meeting right now. All I can say is that we are here to fight collectively, like a family."

The meeting will be attended by Congress, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, Uddhav Thackeray and others.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said there are many leaders, who are much more experienced than Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the country's reins, and all Opposition leaders will put forth their views on a grand alliance at the meeting.

"Nobody can deny the fact that there are many leaders in the Opposition, who are much more experienced than PM Modi (in handling the country's reins). All leaders will put forward their opinion at the meeting," Bihar Deputy CM said.

Nitish Kumar has been spearheading efforts to bring all Opposition parties together against the BJP government at the Centre, ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls, and has already held one-on-one meetings with several top Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Mamata and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, among others.