Opposition Unity In Jeopardy As Congress Locks Horns With CPI-M After Row With AAP: Top Points

Opposition unity falters as Congress clashes with CPI-M and AAP, raising doubts about the future of the alliance. Kerala arrest and AAP's absence from the press conference create further challenges.

Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader, with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, and others during a joint press conference following the opposition parties' meeting in Patna, Friday.

Source : PTI

The opposition parties' unity faced significant challenges as Congress clashed with the CPI-M and then with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The absence of AAP leaders from a joint press conference on Friday (June 23), followed by the mega opposition meeting in Patna, Bihar, raised concerns about the alliance's future. The Congress retaliated against the CPI-M in Kerala after the arrest of its state unit president. This latest setback has added to the uncertainty surrounding the united Opposition platform.

TOP POINTS: 

1. The arrest of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran in an alleged fraud case became a new point of contention for the united Opposition platform in the South. Sudhakaran had obtained anticipatory bail prior to the arrest.
2. The Kerala Congress condemned Sudhakaran's arrest, accusing it of an attempt to intimidate opposition leaders through the use of law enforcement. Such actions, the party vowed, would not intimidate them.
3. The absence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from a joint press conference of opposition leaders in Patna raised concerns about the alliance's future. Union Minister Smriti Irani called the AAP's behaviours "blackmail".
4. Top BJP leaders have dismissed attempts by the opposition to form an alliance against the saffron party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They likened the Patna meeting to a drama and a photo op, comparing it to wolves hunting in packs.
5. The Congress was chastised by the Aam Aadmi Party for remaining silent on the Centre's Delhi ordinance. The party questioned the Congress' stance on the issue, claiming that Congress had refused to publicly condemn the Black Ordinance during a meeting of like-minded parties.
6. Leaders from 17 opposition parties gathered in Patna for a joint press conference to strategise for the upcoming general election in less than a year.
7. The meeting drew mixed reactions, with some seeing it as an opportunistic alliance and others emphasising the importance of unity in the face of the saffron party.
8. The BJP's West Bengal unit chastised the Congress and CPI(M) for allegedly betraying grassroots workers by joining forces with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) at the Patna meeting, PTI reported. 
9. Opposition leaders sought to map out a strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, recognising the importance of working together to counter the ruling party's clout.
10. The Congress's arrest of the CPI(M) state unit president in Kerala added another layer of tension within the united Opposition platform, further complicating their efforts to present a united front against the ruling party. 

READ | 'Pinarayi Vijayan Copying Modi's Autocratic, Undemocratic Tactics': Congress Slams Arrest Of Its Kerala Chief