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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Lalu out to play ‘grand alliance’ card in Delhi

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PATNA: Lalu Prasad Yadav — a mass leader with rustic charm and a convict in the multi-million fodder scam — is all set to embark on a rather difficult political mission: Bringing the non-BJP parties on one platform ahead of 2019 general elections.


Lalu, also Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo, is scheduled to visit Delhi later this week to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi and others to start the process of forging a grand alliance of non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political outfits.


The exercise is aimed at forging an alliance on the lines of one in Bihar that succeeded in defeating the BJP in state assembly polls in 2015.


Fully aware of the challenges involved in the arduous task of bringing together parties of all hues and views to counter the BJP, Lalu will call on Sonia Gandhi in Delhi soon and personally extend her an invitation to join his party’s rally here on August 27.


According to insiders, he will request her to attend the rally to show off the “grand unity” of the opposition parties. The rally is likely to witness the attendance of the who’s who of a number of non-BJP parties. “Laluji has been busy for last few days with his coterie at 10, Circular Road — his official residence — to prepare a strategy for a grand alliance of non-BJP parties.


“Since his proximity to Sonia Gandhi is well-known and the Congress is still the second-most powerful national political party after the BJP, Laluji has decided to work for the unity of non-BJP parties by meeting her and taking her party along to ensure that the idea translates into reality,” an RJD leader close to the party chief said.


This is Lalu’s first move to personally call on a top leader of a non-BJP party after the ruling party’s massive victory in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, which has led to panic among regional parties as well as the Congress.


Last week, Lalu had a telephonic interaction with Sonia Gandhi in connection with the unity plan. After that he had said the Congress was a national party and it should come forward to unite and lead non-BJP parties.


Lalu has already called up West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and invited her to his party’s rally, apart from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav — both former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh.


“Laluji is also in touch with DMK in Tamil Nadu, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the leaders of Left parties to ensure unity of non-BJP parties,” another RJD leader said.


When asked about his proposed rally in Patna and his bid to exhibit opposition unity, Lalu said: “I have invited top leaders of all non-BJP parties for my rally in August. All of them will attend it.”


Keeping the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in focus, he has been appealing to all non-BJP parties to come together to counter the “aggressive Hindutva agenda” of the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party’s President Amit Shah. — IANS


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