Opposition meet: RLD to skip; AAP to boycott if...

The Samajwadi Party will be the only party from Uttar Pradesh attending the opposition leaders' meeting in Patna on Friday, with Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati not being invited while the Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary will skip the meet due to a family programme.

However, Chaudhary hoped the meeting will be an 'important milestone in the path of opposition unity'.

Meanwhile, sources in the Aam Aadmi Party said that the party will walk out of the meeting if the Congress does not promise its support against the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in Delhi.

The meeting of opposition parties has been called by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar to chalk out a joint strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

"The AAP will stage a walkout of the meeting if the Congress does not promise its support against the ordinance," one of the sources said on Thursday.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had expressed hope on Tuesday that the Congress would clear its stand on the Centre's ordinance on the control of administrative services in the national capital at the meeting.

SP leader Akhilesh Yadav has also been urging all opposition parties to join hands to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

However, targeting the parties which are slated to participate in the opposition conclave, Mayawati on Thursday termed the meeting as more about joining of hands than hearts.

The BSP chief has not been invited for the opposition meeting.

JD-U chief spokesperson K C Tyagi told PTI, "We have invited those parties that are willing to fight against the BJP in 2024. BSP says it will not become part of alliance, then why should we waste our invitation."

Mayawati said it does not seem from the attitude of opposition parties that they are serious about their objective in Uttar Pradesh.

"Eighty Lok Sabha seats in UP are said to be the key to electoral success, but it does not seem from the attitude of the opposition parties that they are serious and truly concerned about their objective here. Without the right priorities, will the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections here really bring about the necessary change?" she said.

Keeping in mind the preparations for the next Lok Sabha elections, it would have been better if these parties had tried to instil general confidence in the people with clear intentions, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

"How long will 'muh me Ram bagal me chhuri' (speaking praise on face and stabbing in the back) last?" she added.

RLD leader Chaudhary said he will not attend the meeting due to a 'predetermined family programme'.

In a letter to Kumar that was shared on the official Twitter handle of the RLD on Thursday, Chaudhary said, "The way authoritarian and communal forces are posing a threat to democracy and social harmony in the country, it is the need of the hour to unite the opposition parties of the same ideology. By discussing the important problems and challenges of the country, the entire opposition can present a far-reaching, practical plan in front of the public."

"This way, we can together bring a meaningful change in the country in line with the aspirations of the youth, women, farmers and the underprivileged sections of the society," he said.

Extending his best wishes for the success of the meeting, the RLD chief said, "I am sure that this meeting will prove to be an important milestone in the path of opposition unity."