RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary not to attend opposition meeting in Patna

Lucknow: Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary will skip the opposition leaders' huddle in Patna on Friday due to a family programme but expressed hope the meeting will be an "important milestone in the path of opposition unity".

The meeting of opposition parties has been called by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar to chalk out a joint strategy to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In a letter to Kumar that was shared on the official Twitter handle of the RLD on Thursday, Chaudhary said he could not attend the meeting due to a "predetermined family programme".

"The way authoritarian and communal forces are posing a threat to democracy and social harmony in the country, it is the need of the hour to unite the opposition parties of the same ideology. By discussing the important problems and challenges of the country, the entire opposition can present a far-reaching, practical plan in front of the public," Chaudhary said in his letter.

"This way, we can together bring a meaningful change in the country in line with the aspirations of the youth, women, farmers and the underprivileged sections of the society," he said.

Extending his best wishes for the success of the meeting, the RLD chief said, "I am sure that this meeting will prove to be an important milestone in the path of opposition unity." Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Delhi counterpart and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtra's former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar are among the leaders expected to attend the first high-level opposition meeting.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has not been invited for the opposition meeting, with JD(U) chief spokesperson K C Tyagi saying "We have invited those parties that are willing to fight against the BJP in 2024".

"The BSP says it will not become part of an alliance, then why should we waste our invitation," he told PTI.