New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said all like-minded parties should come together to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming 2024 general elections.Flanked by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, Banerjee on Monday, April 24, suggested that an all-party meeting of all opposition parties should be held in Bihar to draw up a strategy to take on the BJP. Kumar and Yadav met Banerjee in Kolkata on Monday to hold deliberations on ways to forge opposition unity.“All Opposition parties will fight together against the BJP in the upcoming elections. We have no personal ego, we want to work together collectively,” she said, according to Indian Express.“I have made just one request to Nitish Kumar. Jayaprakash (Narayan) ji’s movement started from Bihar. If we have an all-party meeting in Bihar, we can then decide where we have to go next. But first, we have to give a message that we are united. I have said earlier, too, that I have no objections. I want BJP to become zero. They have become a big hero with the media’s support and lies,” the TMC chief further said.Hon’ble CM @MamataOfficial welcomed Bihar’s CM @NitishKumar & Deputy CM @yadavtejashwi in Bengal today.This visit reinforces our united front against @BJP4India‘s tyrannical rule & false narratives! pic.twitter.com/CIkuVHKwGT— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) April 24, 2023Interestingly, Banerjee’s call for opposition unity is a departure from her party’s previous assertions, made no farther than last month, where TMC leaders said that their party would go alone in the Lok Sabha elections.However, over the last month, Banerjee has met Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Naveen Patnaik of the Biju Janata Dal, and Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) in a bid to bring together opposition parties. The TMC has also made it clear that it would not become part of any alliance of which the Congress party is a constituent. It is not clear yet whether there is a change of heart on the part of TMC.Since his exit from the NDA last year, Nitish has functioned as the anchor of opposition unity for the 2024 general elections. He has been accompanied by Tejashwi Yadav during meetings with like-minded parties over the last few months.Nitish Kumar, however, has insisted that excluding the Congress from an opposition coalition is not possible and has met other detractors of the grand old party like Arvind Kejriwal. After meeting Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikharjun Kharge on April 12, he said, “We will try to unite as many parties as we can and move forward together.”Describing his meeting with Banerjee as a “very positive discussion”, Nitish accused the BJP of “changing the history of the country”. “We have held talks, especially about the coming together of all parties and making all preparations ahead of the upcoming Parliament elections. Whatever will be done next, will be done in the nation’s interest. Those who are ruling now, have nothing to do. They are just doing their own publicity. Nothing is being done for the nation’s development,” Indian Express quoted Kumar as saying.The Bihar chief minister is also scheduled to meet Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav next. The SP has also announced publicly that it would not be part of any alliance.