Chennai/IBNS: Opposition leaders Monday came together at a social justice meeting organized by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and emphasized the importance of conducting a census based on caste.

This is the second gathering for the opposition, where he has taken on the role of mediator, urging them to come together before the upcoming general election.

Although the DMK has refuted any political motive behind the meeting, Derek O Brien of the Trinamool Congress expressed that the gathering served as a political platform.

O'Brien encouraged the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, Naveen Patnaik and Jagan Mohan Reddy, respectively, to participate in similar forums.

Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Hemant Soren, Former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool's Derek O'Brien, and Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja are among the attendees of the second national conference on social justice.

Other opposition parties include Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, Telangana's Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party.

Stalin's brainchild, the All India Federation for Social Justice, is set to hold its first national conference with the theme "Taking Forward the Struggle for Social Justice and Joint National Programme for Social Justice Movement."

Aiming to exhibit opposition solidarity before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the conference will be attended by prominent figures such as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.

This marks the first concerted effort by the opposition to unite since Congress's Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from parliament. This event is viewed as a catalyst for bringing together opposition forces.