Big task for Congress to hear voice of state leaders before Patna opposition meeting

New Delhi [India], June 12 : As it gears up for meeting of opposition parties to be held in Patna on June 23, Congress faces confusion and internal pressures in deciding its course of action in the larger objective of opposition unity to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Sources said Congress has not been able to find answers to some of the questions likely to crop up during the meeting.

The party's units in Delhi and Punjab have told the leadership not to support Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his efforts to defeat the bill that the Centre will bring in Parliament to replace the ordinance on the control of services in Delhi. Kejriwal is keen that the bill gets defeated in the Rajya Sabha and has been meeting opposition leaders. The Congress leadership is apparently facing a dilemma on the issue.

Kejriwal had about a fortnight back sought time from Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi to seek support against the ordinance but no meeting has been scheduled so far.

Congress units in Punjab and Delhi have also told the party leadership not to enter into any understanding on seat-sharing with Aap Aadmi Party.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is a firm critic of Mamata Banerjee government and the party has not categorically stated its stance on any possibility of tie up with the Trinamool Congress.

In Uttar Pradesh, which sends the highest number of MPs to Lok Sabha, there is still no clarity if Congress will go alone or have a tie-up. It is also not clear that in case of a tie-up with Samajwadi Party, how many seats Congress will agree to.

A section of Congress is in favour of projecting Rahul Gandhi as the face of Opposition while several other parties including Janata Dal-Untied want this decision to be taken after the Lok Sabha elections.

JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh had said that party leader Nitish Kumar is not in the race to become Prime Minister and the decision on the PM candidate would be taken after the Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said that Congress leadership will have to form a view on these issues before the opposition meeting as other parties are likely to exert pressure.

They said there is confusion in party units in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal on stance vis-a-vis other parties opposed to BJP in their states as there could be an alliance with them in the future.

While BJP and AAP are engaged in war of words almost daily on various issues, the Congress which had highlighted the alleged malpractices in excise policy and huge money spent on Kejriwal's "palace" appears to be relatively quiet.

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