At an INLD rally, the opposition leaders call for a joint campaign against the BJP

An alliance against the BJP was called for by opposition party leaders who met on Monday to commemorate the 110th birthday of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal. At the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) rally held in Haryana, prominent individuals including Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal were present.

The presence of other well-known politicians, such as CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, was the subject of rumors. They did not, however, take part in the event, which has traditionally served as a stage for political play. According to PTI, even Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, turned down Abhay Chautala’s invitation.

A number of party officials were there, including Derek O’Brien of the TMC, K C Tyagi of the JD(U), Chandrashekhar Azad of the Bhim Army, Birender Singh, a former Union minister, and S Siddiqui of the Rashtriya Lok Dal. Prem Singh Chandumajra and Balwinder Singh Bhundar, two SAD politicians, also attended the event.

Given that the INLD has been out of power in Haryana since 2005, the event acted as a show of the party’s political strength. Farooq Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference, addressed the audience and pleaded with the opposition parties to put aside their differences and work together to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In order to overcome India’s difficulties, he underlined the need for togetherness and denounced those who want to sow discord and hate.

K C Tyagi, the leader of the JD(U), reiterated the view and emphasized the need of supporting the INLD in Haryana in order to have any chance of victory in the state. To successfully oppose the BJP administration, according to Tyagi, opposition parties must come together completely, and the INLD is necessary for this.

Derek O’Brien, a member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), also urged cooperation among the opposition parties to drive the BJP out of power. In order to be successful in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, he asked parties to set aside differences and work together.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal urged regional parties to come together on a common platform in order to create India’s next government. He underlined the contribution of regional parties to the advancement of the state and warned against the emergence of new parties, citing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as one that has harmed Punjab.

Badal underlined the need of ensuring that all minorities feel secure in the nation and voiced worry over the division of votes and ethnic tensions sparked by certain parties. In his homage to farmer leader Devi Lal, he emphasized the state of Haryana’s debt-waiver and pension programs for the elderly.

Farooq Abdullah slammed the recently enacted women’s reservation legislation, calling it another BJP “jumla” or hollow promise. He further said that Jammu and Kashmir elections were not held by the BJP-led Central Government. Abdullah concluded by predicting more political rhetoric in the lead-up to the elections.