New Delhi, June 16:
The Opposition meeting called by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to formulate a joint strategy for the upcoming presidential polls was held atthe Constitution Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday, June 15. Sharad Pawar’s name was again proposed as a nominee for the presidential elections, but the NCP chief declined the offer.
Following the meeting, Mamata Banerjee said, “Several parties were here today. We’ve decided we will choose only one consensus candidate. Everybody will give this candidate our support. We will consult with others. This is a good beginning. We sat together after several months, and we will do it again.”
As per sources, Mamata Banerjee suggested the names of Farooq Abdullah and Gopalkrishna Gandhi as opposition candidates for the presidential polls.
Sources said Defense Minister Rajnath Singh rang up many opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav, on Wednesday and requested them to suggest names for the presidential elections. When asked about the name proposed by the government for the presidential polls, there was no reply, and hence the opposition leaders were non-committal in their responses, sources added.
WHAT MAMATA BANERJEE SAID DURING MEETING
In her opening remarks at the Opposition meeting, Mamata Banerjee said, “For us, the presidential election is a prelude to 2024. In the year of Azadi ka Amrit mahotsav, we have decided to field a common candidate who can truly serve as custodian of the Constitution.”
According to sources, Mamata Banerjee said that during the last 8 years of BJP rule, the so-called ‘acche din’ slogan has exposed the government.
Claiming that the Centre-state relations have reached their lowest during the BJP government, Mamata Banerjee further said that BJP has launched an attack on the federal structure, trying to reduce state level to municipality, sources said.
The West Bengal CM also said that the central agencies are targeting opposition parties, sources added.
OPPOSITION MEETING ON PRESIDENTIAL POLLS
Leaders of 16 parties – Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPIML, RSP, Shiv Sena, NCP, RJD, SP, National Conference, PDP, JD(S), DMK, RLD, IUML and JMM – participated at the opposition leaders’ meeting called by Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday.
Last week, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had written to 22 opposition leaders and chief ministers requesting them to attend the meeting on June 15 at the Constitution Club in New Delhi. Non-BJP parties, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, were requested to attend the meeting.
