A Divided Opposition Backs Kapil Sibal's 'Insaaf' Portal, Hopes To Find A Common Ground Before 2024 Polls

Several opposition leaders in India, including Chief Ministers Bhupesh Baghel and Arvind Kejriwal, have expressed support for Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal's newly announced platform 'Insaaf' said to be "fighting for justice".

This move by Sibal, a Congress veteran who quit the party last year, comes at a time when the opposition ranks are unable to find common ground, despite several attempts.

The Congress and Trinamool Congress have been trading barbs repeatedly, and there are concerns that the opposition could fail to unite ahead of the 2024 general election.

Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi and the head of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has appealed to people, including lawyers, to join Sibal's newly launched platform 'Insaaf.'

In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "This is a very important initiative of Kapil Sibal sahib. I appeal to everyone to join this, and we will fight injustice together."

Speaking to reporters later, Kejriwal said Sibal is a well-known lawyer who is very active when it comes to social and political issues.

This endorsement shows a significant shift in Kejriwal's political rhetoric. In the early days of AAP's formation, Sibal used to top the list of Kejriwal's most corrupt politicians.

Sibal has found support not just from his former colleagues in Congress but also from leaders of other opposition parties, including Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

At a press conference, Sibal said he would hold a public meeting of the new platform at Jantar Mantar on 11 March and put forward a new vision of India.

It would be interesting to see how many parties come together to subscribe to Sibal's vision.

Notably, nine opposition leaders, including Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, and K Chandrasekhar Rao, wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging "blatant misuse" of central agencies against members of the opposition.

They slammed arrest of AAP leader, Manish Sisodia in Delhi liquor scam and called the charges against the AAP leader “outrightly baseless and smack of a political conspiracy”.

However, the Congress, Left, and DMK did not sign the letter, showing further cracks in opposition unity.

(with inputs from PTI)