INDIA bloc “will wait for appropriate time”: IUML’s Kunhalikutty after key meeting in Delhi

New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): A day after Lok Sabha election results were declared, Indian Union Muslim League general secretary, PK Kunhalikutty, said on Wednesday that the opposition coalition, the INDIA bloc, will wait for the “appropriate time.”

“They (BJP) don’t have a comfortable majority. INDIA bloc will wait for the appropriate time,” Kunhalikutty told reporters after the INDIA bloc meeting held at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in Delhi on Wednesday evening.

While addressing a press conference after the meeting, Kharge asserted to take “appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s government.”

“We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by BJP’s government. This is our decision and we altogether agreed on these points and we will keep up with the promises we have made to the people,” he said.

“The constituents of the INDIA bloc thank the people of India for the overwhelming support. The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and its politics of hate and corruption. This is a mandate against inflation, unemployment, crony capitalism, and also to save democracy. The INDIA bloc will continue to fight against the fascist rule of the BJP led by Modi,” he added.

Wednesday’s INDIA bloc meeting was attended by several opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Kalpana Soren, JMM MLA and wife of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Revolutionary Socialist Party leader NK Premachandran, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi, AAP MP Raghav Chaddha, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule and Dipankar Bhattacharya.

“We have decided that this mandate is against increasing fascism and against those destroying the Constitution. At the right time, we will move forward towards fulfilling people’s desire to change the government,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said after the meeting.

ER Eswaran, General Secretary, Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi said, “The mandate is clearly for the INDIA bloc. But the situation is not conducive and numbers are not with us.

“Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation says, “It was a fruitful meeting. We adopted a resolution thanking people for supporting our election campaign and that the mandate is squarely against the BJP govt.”

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday evening held a meeting which was attended by several leaders of the alliance including the Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Janasena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Praful Patel among others.

The crucial meeting was held at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in Delhi on Wednesday. According to sources, discussions were held on the government formation by the NDA.

The participation of TDP chief Naidu and JDU supremo Nitish Kumar in the meeting is a significant step, as the support of their parties is crucial for the BJP to form the government. This time, the BJP fell 32 seats short of the majority mark of 272 and will need to rely on its allies to form a government.

As per the results announced by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday, the BJP won 240 seats and the Congress 99 seats. BJP had won 303 seats in the 2019 general elections and 282 seats in the 2014 general elections. The INDIA bloc won 234 seats.