In a major show of strength after the recent arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Opposition’s INDIA bloc held a mega ‘Loktantra Bachao’ (save democracy) rally at the national capital’s historic Ramlila Maidan on Sunday.
The mega rally was attended by top Opposition leaders, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP(SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) boss Uddhav Thackeray, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti among others.
Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren and Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal also addressed the huge gathering of supporters, mostly from the AAP and Congress party.
Here is who said what?
Addressing the rally, RJD leader and former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said, “The ED, CBI and IT are the cells of the BJP. Lalu Ji has been harassed a lot of times. There have been cases against me. My mother, my sisters, my brother-in-law, all the relatives of my father, there were cases against everyone… Many of our leaders are being raided currently. ED, IT raids are underway. But we are not going to be scared… We will struggle. Only lions are caged. All of us are lions… We are fighting for you.”
Senior TMC leader Derek O’Brien said that the Mamata Banerjee-led party is very much part of the INDIA alliance.
“All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) is very much was, is and will be part of the INDIA alliance. This is a fight of BJP versus democracy…,” he said.
Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana said: “I am standing in front of you as the voice of 50 per cent of India’s women population and 9 per cent of the tribal community…Today, this gathering in this historic ground is testifying that you all have come from every part of the country to end the dictatorship…”
Sunita Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife read out a message from her jailed husband and gave six guarantees to the people of India.
“…If the INDIA Alliance is given an opportunity, we will build a new India… I present 6 guarantees on behalf of INDIA Alliance. First, there will be no power cuts in the whole country. Second, electricity would be free for the poor people. Third, we will make government schools in every village. Fourth, we will make Mohalla Clinics in every village. We will make a multispeciality government hospital in every district. Everyone would get free treatment. Fifth, farmers would be given the correct price for the crops. Sixth, the people of Delhi have faced injustice for 75 years… We will give statehood to Delhi… We will complete these 6 guarantees in 5 years. I have made all the planning from where the money for these guarantees will come…,” she said quoting her jailed husband.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar also addressed the gathering and said, “This government (central government) has arrested the Delhi CM, Jharkhand CM and also put many other leaders from different states in jail. This action is an attack on democracy and the Constitution…It is our responsibility to save it.”
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva read out Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin’s message and said, “The BJP high command is treating non-BJP state governments atrociously, toppling democratically elected governments and breaking alliances against them. They have unleashed investigative agencies to intimidate us. Those who succumb to fear join the BJP. If someone dares to stand up against their intimidation, they are arrested. This sounds like an undeclared emergency in India. If Modi comes to power again, the constitutional characteristics of India will be uprooted. We can defeat Modi only through our unity!”.
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury called on people of the country to oust the Modi government to achieve true “Amrit Kaal”.
“If we want freedom from inflation and unemployment in the country, then we will get freedom from the Modi government. If you truly want to achieve Amrit Kaal in the country, then you will have to bring INDIA,” he said, adding “India will join, INDIA will win.”
Rahul Gandhi, while speaking at the rally, said that BJP won’t even get 180 seats without EVM and “match fixing”.
“There is a term ‘match fixing’ in cricket. Narendra Modi ji is trying to do match fixing in this election. Their slogan of crossing 400, without EVM, without match fixing is not going to cross 180,” the Gandhi scion said.