After the conclusion of the two-day second opposition parties’ meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Chief Minister Nitesh Kumar, his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, and RJD president Lalu Prasad opted to avoid the media. Upon their return from the meeting, the trio left the airport and headed to their respective residences. They also chose not to participate in the joint press conference held soon after the meeting, where 26 non-BJP parties were present.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge clarified that some leaders had to catch flights, leading to their absence from the press briefing. However, political analysts raised questions about the decision of Nitish, Lalu, Tejashwi, and other JD(U) and RJD leaders, who had arrived in Bengaluru via a chartered plane. They suggested that rescheduling the return time of their chartered flight could have allowed them to attend the joint press conference.
During the Bengaluru meeting, Lalu emphasized the significance of opposition parties coming together to safeguard the country, its constitution, and the interests of farmers, laborers, youth, and minorities. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of causing destruction during his regime. Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu’s son and Deputy CM, echoed these sentiments, expressing concerns about the state of democracy, brotherhood, and the Constitution in the country, while also accusing the Modi-led government of misusing central agencies and selling the country’s properties. The absence of key leaders during the joint press conference raised speculations about the dynamics within the opposition camp. BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi attributed Nitish’s absence from the briefing to his dissatisfaction over not being made the convener of the opposition parties.
In a similar manner, AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had previously skipped a joint press briefing after a Patna meeting on June 23. AAP later declared in a written statement that they would not be part of any alliance involving Congress unless the party denounced the Center’s ordinance on control of administrative officers in the Delhi government.
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