BJP leaders goal Opposition meet, Amit Shah says ‘photograph session’ in Patna

By PTI

NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Top BJP leaders on Friday pooh-poohed contemporary makes an attempt by opposition events to sew an alliance in opposition to the saffron occasion for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and variedly described the Patna assembly as like wolves searching in packs, a “drama” and mere “photo opportunity”.

As 17 opposition events met in Patna on Friday to chalk out their technique with lower than a yr left for the final elections, Union minister Smriti Irani took a swipe at their unity efforts, saying the ‘prey’ of the leaders is the way forward for India.

“It is said that wolves hunt in packs! A political pack met in Patna. Their ‘prey’ is the future of India,” she advised reporters in Delhi. She additionally described the deliberate entrance as a “multi-headed selfish alliance”.

The remarks by the BJP leaders got here as 17 opposition events resolved to battle the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly to defeat the saffron occasion and work with flexibility by setting apart their variations.

They dubbed the deliberate alliance as “unholy and opportunistic”.

While BJP chief J P Nadda mentioned the taking part leaders had been those that had been jailed by the Congress throughout Emergency, Union Home Minister Amit Shah mentioned opposition unity is “nearly impossible”.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur known as the assembly a “drama”.

Shah additionally slammed former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who attended the assembly, saying he has the behavior of criticising every little thing.

“A photo session is happening in Patna. All the opposition leaders have come together on a single platform to convey the message that they will challenge the BJP, the NDA and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi (in 2024),” Shah mentioned at a rally in Jammu.

“All I want to say to these opposition leaders is that your unity is nearly impossible and even if it happens, irrespective of how unitedly you appear in front of people in 2024, Modi’s return with more than 300 seats is confirmed.” Nadda, who was in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, mentioned leaders who had been jailed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi throughout Emergency are actually welcoming her grandson, Rahul Gandhi.

“Strange things are happening in politics today. Leaders jailed by Indira Gandhi have now joined hands with her grandson, Rahul Gandhi.” He identified that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad was jailed for 22 months, whereas JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was behind bars for 20 months throughout Emergency.

“I saw Uddhav Thackeray reaching Patna to attend the opposition meeting. His father, ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ Balasaheb Thackeray, was opposed to the Congress all along. Balasaheb had once said he will shut the ‘dukaan’ (referring to his political party, Shiv Sena) rather than joining the Congress. Now, his son is closing down the ‘dukaan’,” Nadda mentioned.

Irani held two press conferences on the BJP headquarters in Delhi, one forward of the assembly on Friday morning, and one after it concluded.

Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi from Amethi within the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, mentioned the Congress is looking for the assist of different events as it’s “incapable of defeating Prime Minister Narendra Modi alone”.

She mentioned it’s “ironic” that a number of the leaders who witnessed the “murder of democracy” throughout Emergency have assembled below the Congress’ ‘parasol’ in Patna.

“I need to particularly specific gratitude to the Congress for brazenly asserting that it’s incapable of defeating Modi alone. It wants assist. Power has moved from the palaces to the folks.

That is why those that take pleasure of their political legacy will now need to go to these that they had put behind bars throughout Emergency,” Irani mentioned.

As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders stayed away from a joint press convention of opposition leaders in Patna, Irani mentioned AAP’s blackmailing to start with itself exhibits the way forward for the “unholy alliance”.

“It is ironic that Trinamool Congress Party members today witnessed bonhomie between Mamata Bandopadhyay and that Communist Party, the leadership of which was particularly known for dragging Mamata by her hair, especially when she tried to speak for the people of Bengal,” she mentioned referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Minister Thakur additionally took a dig on the Opposition, saying RJD president Lalu Prasad’s nudge to Rahul Gandhi to get married was among the many prime conclusions of the assembly.

“Ahead of the 2024 elections, the stage is being decorated once again, the drama troupe is gathering, characters are being decided, there will be drama, there will be promises to fulfill, people will laugh, and once again Modi ji will take oath as the Prime Minister for the third time with a huge majority,” mentioned Thakur.

“New doors of political tourism opened, after eating litti-chokha, rasgulla in Bihar, they will now meet in Shimla.” The assembly was hosted by Nitish Kumar and his deputy and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav.

The West Bengal unit of the BJP lashed out on the Congress and the CPI(M) for allegedly “betraying” their grassroot staff engaged in a bitter battle over rural polls within the state by becoming a member of palms with the TMC for the Patna assembly.

The saffron camp additionally termed the assembly as an “opportunistic alliance”.

“West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Adhir Chowdhury and CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty will have no right to rush to the aid of their grassroot workers if they are attacked by TMC goons in the run-up to the July 8 panchayat polls,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya advised PTI in Kolkata.

He additionally claimed that each the Congress and CPI(M) state leaderships stand “exposed in front of the people of West Bengal”.