Many top leaders of the opposition appeared together on the stage of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Delhi on Monday.
They participated in a national conference on social justice organized here. Stalin’s organization All India Federation for Social Justice is holding its first national convention on social justice here.
The conference was addressed by several leaders of the opposition. Many leaders including Stalin kept their point in the event through virtual medium.
Several prominent opposition leaders advocated for opposition unity against the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that everyone has to come together for social justice, development of backward and weaker sections. There should be caste census in the country.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien advocated for opposition unity in this conference and said that there are two or three political parties who do not want to fight with the BJP. I would urge Naveen Patnaik of Biju Janata Dal and Jaganmohan Reddy of YSR Congress to come together, it is time to be very clear.
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah advocated unity of the opposition. He said that everyone has to unite to provide a better life to all. Unless we are united and form a government at the Centre, it is not possible.
Sitaram Yechury of the Marxist Communist Party said that social justice would have no meaning if the treatment meted out to minorities is not stopped.
Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal Tejashwi Yadav said that till the people of RSS ideology are not removed from power, the backward people will not get justice. Everyone needs to fight for this. There is a need to fight unitedly, keeping aside our egos.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said that there is a need for mutual discussion and struggle to end the exploitative system. All powerful forces should unite for achieving equality, prosperity and social justice.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal said that there should be a caste-based census in the coming census. He said that Rahul Gandhi gave a statement saying that OBCs were insulted, while Modi is not a caste, Modi is a surname.
The program , seen as a show of opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, was attended by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. Apart from this, CPI General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary D Raja, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, Chhagan Bhujbal and many other leaders also participated in the program.
Significantly, three major parties – TMC, AAP and BRS, which were earlier unwilling to share the dais with the Congress, also participated in the conference through their representatives.
On behalf of TMC, MP Derek O’Brien participated in this conference. Similarly, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh from AAP and Dr Keshav Rao, MP from BRS participated in the conference.
