Tejashwi Yadav pitches 'regional parties should be on driving seat' in Opposition meet

On Friday, participating in the united opposition meeting called by the Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, RJD top leader Tejashwi Yadav asserted that the regional parties should be allowed to be in the “driving seat” in the areas where they have a stronghold.

Addressing the virtual meeting chaired by the leaders from 19 opposition parties across the country, Tejashwi Yadav demanded a push for the regional parties and advised that they should be given a chance to be in the regions where do they well and their contribution should not be overshadowed by the national parties.

In his address, he highlighted the recent assembly elections, wherein Bengal, TMC won over the elections and BJP trounced and in Bihar too, the NDA scraped through. He emphasised that this should be the inspiration for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the united opposition should keep this in mind while formulating any strategy.

Opposition must incorporate ‘Dhaar’ & ‘Nayaapan’ in its electoral agenda: RJD leader

The 33-year-old, who led his party to a dominant performance in the Bihar elections last year, stressed the importance of incorporating "dhaar" (edge) and "nayaapan" (newness) into the opposition's electoral agenda.

"The opposition must fight polls on its own agenda... the experience of West Bengal and Bihar has shown how we should be taking on the BJP. We must start working on our strategy for 2024 now. The opposition has opted for the beaten track for the past seven years... We must bring in 'dhaar' and 'nayaapan' in the issues we raise," said the former Bihar deputy chief minister, as reported by PTI.

"In order to win significantly in the 2024 elections, the opposition must act well in advance and should start 'hitting the streets' besides finalising alliances well in advance since coalitions stitched shortly before elections left confusion in the minds of the people," he said.

Opposition was unable to cash in on innumerable grievances: Tejashwi 

The RJD's top leader decried the fact that the opposition had "innumerable grievances" but was "unable to cash in on them despite evident public outrage." He also emphasised the importance of "improved communication amongst opposition groups at the national and state levels."

Ultimate aim of united opposition is to win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, on Friday, called a meeting of like-minded opposition parties to build a strong front against the present government in the 2024 elections. Sonia Gandhi, who was confident that the united opposition can battle out the ruling NDA, said that it is time to grow above ‘individual compulsions’ and put forth the nation’s interest to fight those in power. As per PTI, Sonia Gandhi said, “We all have our compulsions, but time has come when the nation's interests demand we rise above them.”   

With PTI Inputs
Image: PTI