INDIA bloc chants unity mantra
The rally saw key leaders exhorting allies to stand together and not against each other.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana with Congress’s Sonia Gandhi at the rally
NEW DELHI: Top leaders of the INDIA bloc on Sunday exhorted the people to defeat the BJP to save democracy and the Constitution and alleged that the opposition has been deprived of a level playing field in the Lok Sabha elections due to the government’s “dictatorial” actions.
Coming together at the Save Democracy rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital, the first such show of strength by the opposition after the announcement of Lok Sabha polls, the leaders of 18 major parties gave a fervent call for unity among the alliance partners in national interest.
The public meeting was aimed at highlighting the issue of “attack on democracy” including the alleged misuse of agencies against opposition leaders in the aftermath of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and income tax notices to parties.
Reading out a message from Arvind Kejriwal, his wife Sunita Kejriwal told the gathering that they should keep alive the “dream of India which can provide education and health care for all irrespective of whether they are rich or poor.. If you give an opportunity to the INDIA bloc, we will build a great nation.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to do “match-fixing” in the Lok Sabha polls and warned that if the BJP wins the election through this endeavour and “changes” the Constitution, then the whole country would be “finished”.
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge described the RSS-BJP combine as “poison” that has “destroyed” the country, and called on all opposition parties to unite to defeat the ruling party in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
This election is to save democracy, the country and the Constitution, he said. “We need to unite and only then will we be able to fight the BJP. We won’t succeed if we keep attacking and fighting each other,” Kharge said, adding, “This election is for saving democracy and the Constitution and we must fight unitedly.”
In the charter of demands that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra read out at the rally, the opposition bloc demanded the setting up of a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations of “quid pro quo, extortion and money laundering” by the BJP using the Electoral Bonds.
