BJP defeat in HP will lay foundation of Oppn unity in 2024: JDU's KC Tyagi

JDU leader K C Tyagi on Sunday urged voters of Himachal Pradesh to elect a Congress government in the state to lay the foundation of opposition unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

He said there is a need for a strong alternative to the BJP and only the Congress can defeat the saffron party.

"There is a need for a strong alternative to the BJP for which Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar has launched a campaign. Himachal Pradesh elections are important because it will lay the foundation of the opposition campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," he said in a press conference at the Congress office here.

"If the Congress wins from here then it will prove to be a milestone for the 2024 Lok Sabha election," he said.

"The Congress victory here will clear the path for opposition in 2024 polls," he later told PTI.

Tyagi, who is the general secretary of the JDU, which has now switched sides and is in a coalition government in Bihar with RJD and Congress, said he did not agree with parties which hold the view that there needs to be a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative at the national level.

There cannot be opposition unity without the Congress and no opposition alternative can be formed without taking the grand old party along, he said.

"If we defeat the BJP in Himachal Pradesh then it will not just accomplish the task of opposition unity for 2024 polls, but also our pledge," the Janata Dal (United) leader said.

Tyagi also said that his party wants a minimum support price for horticulture products and fruits and that the government should be buying these products from growers at this price.

Asked about the Congress prospects in these elections, he said, "We want and we have seen that the Congress is in a comfortable position and the polls are going in favour of the Congress.