Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut welcomes Congress' efforts for unity, says entire opposition will remain united in 2024

Shiv Sena Uddhav Bal Thackeray leader Sanjay Raut on Friday lauded the efforts to forge Opposition unity and said that the entire opposition will remain united in 2024 Lok Sabha polls to shatter Bharatiya Janata Partys BJP illusionsCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have started to unite the opposition we welcome it Rajya Sabha MP said while speaking to reportersBJPs view has been that the opposition should not stay together but this illusion of theirs will be shattered Entire opposition will remain united in 2024 he addedRauts remarks come a day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi and spoke on the need to talk to other parties and to move together in the fight for various issues concerning peopleThe meeting took place at Kharges residence with the leaders talking about the beginning of the process to unite the OppositionKharge said Pawar came directly from Mumbai and provided us guidanceHe referred to the talks yesterday after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav met him and Rahul GandhiYesterday we talked that we will keep opposition unity and work to save the country democracy and protect the Constitutionissues like freedom of speech and expression employment to youth and inflation misuse of autonomous bodies we are ready to fight unitedly on all these issues and will talk to all the parties one after the other Kharge saidHe said Pawar also said that he will talk to various opposition parties and try for a united fight in the futureAlso readCulture of forcing silence branding people antinationals will finish democracy says KhargeWe should all work together for the nation and in its interest and this why we are meeting The likeminded parties others we should take all along there was discussion on this he saidPawar said a process has to be started for opposition unity and this just the beginningOur thinking is exactly what Kharge ji told you But mere thinking will not help A process needs to be startedThis is just the beginning After this talks will be held with other important opposition parties be it Mamata Banerjee Arvind Kejriwal or others to try to integrate them into this process he saidRahul Gandhi said it is just the beginning and all parties are committed to the processWhat Kharge ji and Pawar ji said is that a process has begun to unite the Opposition This is the beginning All parties are committed to this process he saidPawars meeting with Kharge and Rahul Gandhi came a day after Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav had met them Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on WednesdaySources said there will be a meeting of opposition parties by the end of April after consultations with them and Nitish Kumar and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will talk to the opposition partiesAfter the meeting Kharge had talked of fighting the polls unitedly Rahul Gandhi also talked of standing together and fighting togetherDelhi CM had said it is essential for all opposition parties to unite and oust the BJPled government in the 2024 Lok Sabha pollsRahul Gandhi described the meeting with Janata DalUnited and RJD leaders as a historic step towards opposition unity and for an ideological fightKharge had earlier this month telephoned Nitish Kumar Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav ThackerayThe meetings are being seen as an attempt by Congress and other opposition parties to take forward their unity displayed during the budget session of Parliament session that concluded on April 6The session saw continuous disruptions over the oppositions demand for a JPC probe into the HindenburgAdani rowThe opposition parties also slammed the government over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha following his conviction by a Surat court in a criminal defamation caseReacting to the gangsterturnedpolitician Atiq Ahmeds son Asads encounter Raut said that a maximum number of encounters have happened in Mumbai and several encounter specialists were sent to jailThe maximum number of encounters have happened in Mumbai They were given the title of encounter specialists but almost all of them went to jail Some people in Mumbai went to court with evidence against such encounters Then after an investigation many encounter specialists were jailed Rajya Sabha MP said on the encounterIf they are terrorists then an encounter should happen If it is a mafia then such encounters keep happening added RautGangsterturnedpolitician Atiq Ahemds son Asad and another accused Ghulam were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case and were killed in an encounter by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force STF in Jhansi on ThursdayRefusing to speak on the encounter by Uttar Pradesh STF Raut said Why should I speak for some other state They have their own chief ministers and other ministers They will look into the law and order of their state I can only talk about Mumbai and MaharashtraThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever