'Third Front Without Congress Cannot Defeat BJP' Says Tamil Nadu CM Stalin Asking Opposition To Unite For 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's birthday rally on Wednesday (1 March) served as a platform for calls for opposition unity to dislodge the BJP government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting-- attended by Congress chief Mallikarjuna Kharge, National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav made a strong pitch to get more regional parties work alongside the Congress to dislodge the BJP from power at the Centre.

Kharge, who had last week asserted only his party can provide 'capable and decisive' leadership to the country and strongly pitched for a Congress-led alliance to defeat the BJP in 2024 polls, made a fervent appeal for opposition unity to take on 'divisive forces' and indicated that the call on a PM candidate can be taken later.

Abdullah, who earlier in the day backed 'Stalin for PM', at the rally said winning the LS polls should be the first priority, even as he envisaged bigger role for Stalin in the national scene.

Akhilesh Yadav though praised Stalin and expressed confidence that the Dravidian leader would rise to prominence at the national level, did not comment on whether or not his party would consider working with Congress in Uttar Pradesh to fight the BJP.

Stalin, in his birthday address asserted that post-poll alliance and a third front without the Congress are not workable proposals.

The event is a launch pad for a new era of politics in India and it was a thing of joy for him, the Chief Minister said.

'Rather than who should form the government, the 2024 LS election is about who must not capture power,' he said.

Stalin alleged the BJP is dividing the country based on communal fascism. 'The BJP must be defeated politically. This must be the single goal for all opposition parties.'

Batting for a spirit of unity among opposition parties, the Dravidian party chief said it would bring victory in the general elections. 'If national politics is decided based on State-based political differences, the loss is for us,' he said, in reference to State-specific political realities that hindered bringing like-minded parties together to take on the BJP.

He said arguments put forth by 'some' favouring a non-Congress front should be rejected and a post-poll alliance for the Parliamentary election is not practical.

K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS is pitted against the Congress and the BJP in Telangana even as the Telangana CM is said to be nurturing national ambitions. In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's TMC is fighting both the Left and the BJP.

He urged the party cadres to work for the victory of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in all the 40 seats, 39 in Tamil Nadu and one in neighbouring Puducherry in the 2024 polls.

He conveyed to Kharge, in his address, that a resolution passed at the recent Congress plenary demonstrating the party's willingness to work with all like-minded parties was the 'ideal birthday present'.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged the BJP was against social justice and called for all like-minded parties to come together on one platform to defeat the Saffron outfit.

Earlier, gold rings to newborns, saplings to farmers, blood donation camps, hosting community baby shower events, assistance including providing notebooks to students, community lunch, eye care service by holding eye camps were among the many dozens of state-wide events that are being organised by the DMK to celebrate Stalin's birthday. A camel was also gifted to him by a party worker.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of leaders greeted him.

(With inputs from PTI)