A meeting of opposition parties, which was scheduled to be held in Patna on June 12, has been postponed, sources said on Sunday.
With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and some other key opposition figures unavailable for the meeting, there is a view to hold the deliberations at a later date so that they could also participate, giving the event due prominence.
Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin were also finding it difficult to attend the meeting on June 12 due to prior commitments. Gandhi is currently in the US.
'Opposition Unity'
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JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has taken a lead in speaking to several regional satraps besides the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and the Left to forge unity among opposition ranks to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal earlier called for opposition unity to take on the BJP as the JD(U) leader met the AAP convenor at his residence and extended "complete support" to him in the ongoing face-off with the Centre over the control of administrative services.
Recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during an interaction in Washington said that the BJP will be "decimated" in the next three-four assembly elections by the Congress, emphasising that they have the basic requirements that are needed to defeat the ruling party which do not have the support of the vast majority of the Indian population.
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Interestingly, opposition unity was also showcased at the swearing-in of Congress leader Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru on, as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin and a host of leaders arrived in what was seen as a coming together of the non-BJP bloc ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
According to reports, Nitish Kumar has held similar meetings with other opposition leaders in the last month.
Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence Matoshree, in Mumbai. He also met Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, along with holding discussions with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.
(With inputs from PTI)
