New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin here Tuesday ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting.
Monday, Kejriwal met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc will be held at Ashoka Hotel here around 3 pm to deliberate on a blueprint for a joint campaign, seat sharing, and redrawing the strategy for taking on the BJP in the 2024 general elections after the setback in the recent assembly polls.
“Today, I had the privilege of meeting Thiru @mkstalin in Delhi. We expressed our concerns on the current political state of the country, emphasizing the necessity of cooperation by INDIA (bloc),” Kejriwal said in a post on X.
Following Kejriwal’s meeting with Stalin, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the main focus was on strengthening the INDIA bloc.
“The focus of the meeting was to find solutions to unemployment and inflation. We need to come together. People of the country are looking with hope towards the INDIA bloc and it is upon us to come together as a unit to honour the hopes and wishes of the people,” he said.
Chadha said that Kejriwal holds Stalin in high esteem and stressed that both are the “most loved” leaders in the country.
“One of the common things between the two is that they are connected with the people of their respective states and their grassroots. I think there is a lot of love and respect between the two,” he added.
On the suspension of 141 MPs from Parliament, the AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP said it was one of the “darkest days” in the country’s democracy.
“I will not shy away from saying that it’s not only a few MPs who have been suspended but it’s democracy that has been suspended. It is a cause of concern for every Indian. What can be a Parliament without elected representatives? Day by day, the BJP government is dealing a heavy blow to our democratic principles,” he added.
In an unprecedented move, 78 opposition MPs were suspended from Parliament on Monday, the highest number of suspensions in a single day, drawing sharp criticism from the Congress and other parties that accused the BJP government of trying to bulldoze key legislations in an “Opposition-less” Parliament.
An additional 49 Lok Sabha members were suspended on Tuesday for disrupting House proceedings. INDIA bloc MPs have been demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach in Parliament December 13.
The action taken Tuesday has brought the total number of suspended opposition MPs from both houses to 141 since last Thursday. AAP member Sanjay Singh has been suspended as a Rajya Sabha member since July 24.
When asked about the Enforcement Directorate summoning Kejriwal December 21, he said the legal team would give a reply to the notice. “Everyone knew that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will leave for Vipassana today and it was pre-scheduled. The legal team will reply,” he said.
The ED Monday issued a fresh summons to the Delhi chief minister for questioning December 21 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal is scheduled to go to an undisclosed place to attend a 10-day Vipassana meditation course from Tuesday.
PTI