Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday urged all opposition parties to come united at the national level to defeat the BJP in parliament elections. He said a 'third front' is pointless and that an alliance without the Congress will not reach the shores.
Delivering the acceptance speech during his birthday function held in Chennai, the DMK leader said that the 2024 election is about who should not rule the country rather than who should rule. “We will be at loss if we look at national politics with regional calculations. A third front is pointless. Parties opposing the BJP must understand this simple electoral arithmetic,” he said.
Stating that the Lok Sabha election is an opportunity to win the ideological battle, Stalin told his cadres that the battle-ground is waiting for them. “Every party should understand that the loss is ours. The BJP is waging an administrative war on the non-BJP ruled states. We should devise plans to face the battle,” Stalin urged.
Several opposition leaders had reached Chennai to wish Stalin on his 70th birthday. Speaking on the occasion, Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, RJD leader and Bihar deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav and Congress party president Mallikharjun Kharge also stressed the need for opposition unity.
“We want to fight together in the name of secularism. That is why we have assembled here. That is our desire. That is why we have sacrificed many times in the name of secularism, in the name of liberty and in the name of freedom of expression. That we have done and showed and we have lost many times,” Kharge said.
Stating that the congress and the DMK will stand united for building the country and the state of Tamil Nadu, Kharge urged all the like-minded opposition parties to come together in the fight against the “divisive forces”. He said the differences in who will lead the opposition is not important.
“Whoever is the prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls or who will lead the opposition is not important. Everyone should unite to defeat the divisive BJP,” Kharge said.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Kharge said there are no jobs in the country and the governors have been crossing their limits in the opposition ruled states. He also accused the BJP of “polarising the country” after having pushed 23 crore people below the poverty line (BPL). He also alleged that the BJP was trying to “change” the country’s Constitution.
Farooq Abdullah said: “We need to work together. This message is for parties who are here and who are not here as well. We need to wake up and unite to ensure that all of us live in honour, dignity and peace. Jammu and Kashmir will regain its statehood status and dignity.”
Tejaswi Yadav also insisted that an anti-BJP front with all opposition parties should come together “on one stage.”
It may be recalled that the DMK under Stalin plans to play a crucial role in the national politics and build a strong coalition. Last year, on the eve of Stalin’s birthday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Kerala Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had participated and released the first volume of his autobiography.
