AMN / NEW DELHI
Top leaders of INDIA bloc today joined hands at ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally held at the Ramlila ground here on Sunday in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest.
The mega rally was attended by top Opposition leaders, including Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP(SCP) chief Sharad Pawar, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti among others.
Addressing the rally Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a jibe, saying PM Modi has resorted to ‘match fixing’ to win elections.
Likening the election to a cricket match and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to fix the election result, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “Have you heard the word “match fixing”? When a match is won after pressurising the umpire, buying out the player and intimidating captain. Elections are ahead of us. Who chose the umpire? Narendra Modi.”
“And even before the election, they have arrested two of our players. Narendra Modi is trying to fix this election. Even after pressuring the media, fixing the evms, capturing the social media – they will not cross 180 seats. Congress is the biggest opposition party and in middle of the elections they have frozen all our accounts,” he added.
“We have to run the campaign, we want to send our leaders to different states, get posters published, but all our resources are clamped down. What kind of election is this– leaders are intimidated, governments are toppled using money power, opposition leaders are arrested. Narendra Modi is not alone in this match fixing. He is aided by three or four of his corporate friends,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“If you do not vote with full force, their match-fixing will succeed; if that succeeds, Constitution will be destroyed,” he added.
Kejriwal’s wife Sunita also joined the INDIA bloc leaders on stage. She read out a message from her husband, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
Delhi Police had made elaborate security arrangements for the rally with paramilitary personnel deployed at and around the rally venue.
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.
Why arrest CMs if you’re confident of winning: Akhilesh Yadav
“They raise the slogan that they will cross 400, if they were indeed winning 400 seats, then what worries you, why did you arrest Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren,” Akhilesh Yadav, SP President and Former UP CM said at the rally.
“I’m appealing to you, defeat them, send them back. You can save this country only through your vote… your vote alone can save our constitution, reservation and the 90% population in the PDA category (P – pichre meaning backward, D – Dalit, and A – alpasankhyak meaning minority)
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.
- Support INDIA bloc if you want freedom from dictatorship: Sitharam Yechury “ If you want freedom from corruption and dictatorship, you have to support the secular front of INDIA bloc,” Sitaram Yechury General Secretary CPI(M) said at the rally.He raised the slogan “Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA”
- MARCH 31, 2024 14:04This is undeclared emergency: Tiruchi Siva reads out TN CM Stalin’s messageTiruchi Siva, Rajya Sabha leader DMK, reads out Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin’s message: The BJP high command has been committing errors in desperation. The very word INDIA became bitter for them after formation of our alliance. They have been engaging in cheap tactics- toppling elected governments and unleashing the central agencies such as IT, ED, CBI. Cases against those who join them are dropped. But who dares to stand against them is punished. This is undeclared emergency. These arrests only strengthen our resolve to fight the BJP.