The Welfare Party of India is working on forming a pan-India coalition of non-BJP parties to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said party’s national president S.Q.R. Illiyas here on Thursday.
Talking to reporters on his maiden visit to the city, Mr. Illiyas said there is a need for non-BJP parties, including the Congress, to leave aside their egos and come together to take on the BJP.
“We had five rounds of discussion with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Talks are on with the Congress. I am confident of the formation of a coalition of non-BJP parties,” Mr. Illiyas said.
Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi says “sab ka saath sab ka vikas”, his government was not working as per this principle. The BJP was trying to raise communally sensitive issues such as the hijab and the halal to divert the attention of people from the Central government’s failure to address concerns related to inflation, unemployment, and other vital issues.
It was also trying to silence the people speaking out against the government by calling them as anti-nationals and booking false criminal cases against them, he said.
Mr. Illiyas said he was touring different parts of Karnataka to strengthen the party cadre and to inspire them to take up issues concerning people. “Our approach is to see how we can contribute towards the development of this country,” he said.
The Welfare Party of India is not a communal but a plural party where members from different communities were its members, he said.
(Courtesy: The Hindu)
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/working-to-form-anti-bjp-coalition-wpi-president/article65464865.ece
