Anurag Kumar
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, and a host of other leaders will travel to Karnataka for the swearing-in ceremony of Congress leader Siddaramaiah as the state’s chief minister, demonstrating opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien tweeted on Friday that while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not be attending the swearing-in ceremony, she has designated party leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar for the event.
In addition to Kumar, Congress leaders have verified the presence of Stalin, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar, and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, People’s Democratic Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist Liberation), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Kerala Congress.
However, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala criticized the Congress for not inviting Pinarayi Vijayan to the inauguration ceremony. In Kannur, Kerala, LDF Convenor EP Jayarajan stated, “Congress’s action has demonstrated that it is incapable of achieving its mission of uniting the secular democratic forces of the country against the BJP’s ‘fascist’ politics.”
In Kerala, the Congress heads the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF).
Nitish Kumar, who has also been emphasizing opposition unity to take on the BJP next year, has been invited to the swearing-in ceremony by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “It (the Karnataka assembly election) was a significant election. In addition, I have a longstanding rapport with him (Siddaramaiah). I’m leaving tomorrow,” he told reporters in Darbhanga, Bihar, on Friday.
Kumar did not respond to reporters’ queries regarding the anticipated meeting of opposition leaders in Bihar. “Allow me to return from the event tomorrow. We will make a decision at the appropriate time,” said the JD(U) supremo, who had previously indicated that the meeting could occur after the election in the southern state.
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M Veerappa Moily, a senior Congress leader and former Union Minister, told the news agency PTI, “It (the swearing-in ceremony) could also serve as a springboard for opposition unity and a display of strength and solidarity.”
Ramakrishna Upadhya, a political analyst, stated that the victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections “is a shot in the arm for the Congress after losing so many elections.” The victory is indeed a morale stimulant for Congress, allowing it to assert itself ahead of the elections in 2024.
Senior journalist and political observer Vishweshwar Bhat told PTI, “It is a cunning move by the Congress to restore its nationwide presence by inviting opposition leaders to attend the ceremony. The Congress is also sending signals for opposition unity from Karnataka.”
