Top leaders make a push for Oppn unity ahead of 24 polls

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday met his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, in Kolkata and Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow as he stepped up his efforts to unite opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year

KOLKATA/LUCKNOW: Kumar, a leader of the Janata Dal (United), along with Bihar deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav met Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Banerjee at the state secretariat for nearly an hour for stitching a coalition of opposition parties.

Speaking to reporters later, the Bihar chief minister lauded the work of the Bengal government. "We held talks. We were in touch earlier too. I used to frequently come here. For a few years, I couldn't come. I am very happy to have come here and meet her. I saw how much development she has made," he said.

The JD(U) leader also urged all opposition parties to hold talks to decide on the future roa dmap. "Nothing is being done for India's development, those ruling are only interested in their own advertisement," he said, in an apparent reference to the BJP at the Centre.

Banerjee, who also spoke to the media, said opposition parties must unite to send a strong message to the BJP ahead of next year's crucial elections.