Amid efforts to cement opposition unity, NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday. After the meeting, Pawar said that this is “just the beginning”.
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“Our thinking is exactly what Kharge ji told you. But mere thinking will not help. A process needs to be started…This is just the beginning. After this, talks will be held with other important opposition parties – be it Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, or others – to try to integrate them into this process,” the NCP supremo told the media.
The leaders met at Congress President Kharge’s residence in New Delhi.
During the address to the media, Kharge said that they will speak to every opposition party one by one. “…..To save the country and democracy and keep the Constitution safe, for freedom of speech and expression, for employment of youth, and issues like inflation and misuse of autonomous bodies, we are ready to fight as one,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi – whose disqualification from the Lok Sabha last month has spurred opposition unity – agreed with Pawar and Kharge’s statements and said that “a process has begun to unite the Opposition.” “This is the beginning. All parties are committed to this process,” he added.
On Wednesday, the two Congress leaders met Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav in the morning, and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal later in the day.
Gandhi had said that it is a “historic step” to unite the opposition. “We will develop the vision of the opposition parties and move forward… we will stand together for the country. You ask ‘how many opposition parties are needed (to defeat the BJP)’? This is a process… as many as want to join us, we will all proceed together. We are in an ideological battle for the country,” he said on Wednesday.
