Opposition leaders to kickstart 'Mission 2024' with Patna huddle, chart course to take on BJP

Top leaders of Opposition parties will brainstorm at a meeting here on Friday to chalk out a roadmap for the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with sources saying that they would look to avoid the prickly leadership question and emphasis on common ground.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Delhi counterpart and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtra's former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar are among the leaders expected to attend the first high-level opposition meeting.

It is being hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav here.

The CMO official said, "The MEA has requested the state government to give consent to hand over control of Dr Ambedkar's home in London to it."

The 2,050 square feet residential property in London went up for sale through an estate agent in 2014.

The Federation of Ambedkarites and Buddhist Organisation (FABO) UK had written to the Indian government to urge them to purchase it as a historically important monument.

The decision for Maharashtra to purchase the house was later cleared by the Narendra Modi-led government.

Ambedkar, who died in 1956 at the age of 65, was posthumously conferred with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1990.