Manipur issue to be discussed in Oppn meet: Pawar as he leaves for Patna

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar said that "Manipur issue will also be discussed" in the Opposition leaders' meeting scheduled to take place in Bihar's Patna, as he left to attend the meeting on Friday morning.

Pawar, who was accompanied by her daughter Supriya Sule, further added that "they are meeting to discuss some important issues of the country and decide the future course of action."

Apart from that Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut were also spotted leaving for Bihar's Patna to attend the Opposition leaders' meeting.

Leaders of several opposition parties already had arrived in Patna on Thursday ahead of their crucial meeting which is aimed at forging unity for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls even as they face challenges in terms of turf wars in states.

The meeting has been called by Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar and will be attended by leaders of parties opposed to the BJP. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti were among the leaders who reached Patna ahead of the meeting. On her arrival in Patna, Mamata Banerjee called on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch and former Bihar CM Lalu Yadav and his son and state Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

"It was wonderful to meet Lalu Prasad Yadav ji. He is a senior leader. Unfortunately, he was in jail for so many days and then was hospitalized for a long time. It was good to see him. I cannot share the details of the meeting right now. All I can say is that we are here to fight collectively, like a family."

After meeting with RJD Supremo, Mamata Banerjee met Nitish Kumar at Patna Circuit House. Kejriwal and Mann also met Nitish Kumar. RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary said he will be able to attend the meeting due to a pre-decided family program.