Opposition parties united on Sunday at New Delhi’s mega Ramlila Maidan to protest against the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, weeks before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata of rigging the vote and harassing them with large tax demands.
“Narendra Modi is trying match-fixing in this election,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, one of the key Opposition leaders who participated in the public rally to show solidarity with Arvind Kejriwal and his wife Sunita Kejriwal, said at the rally as the crowd chanted “Shame!”
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Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, also attended the INDIA bloc rally. The Enforcement Directorate arrested Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He is in custody till April 1.
INDIA bloc rally in Delhi: Who said what
- Sunita Kejriwal (Arvind Kejriwal’s wife): “Mother India is in pain, this tyranny won’t work. My husband getting lots of blessings.”
- Reading out Arvind Kejriwal’s message, she said, “If voted to power, the INDIA bloc will fulfil six guarantees, including good hospitals and education.”
- “If you give opportunity to the INDIA bloc, we will build a great nation,” she said.
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress): “Despite the BJP creating undemocratic obstacles, the INDIA bloc was committed to fighting, winning, and saving democracy in India.”
- “I have been coming to Ramlila Maidan since childhood. Every year Ravan’s effigy is set on fire. When I was a kid, I used to come (here) with my grandmother Indira Ji and she used to narrate the Ramayana to me. Those in power today call themselves Ram Bhakts. When I was sitting here I thought that I should say something to them. I want to remind them of the 1,000-year-old tale and its message,” she said.
- “When Lord Ram fought for truth, he did not have power, resources or even a chariot. Ravan had chariots, resources, army and gold but Lord Ram had truth, hope, belief, love, kindness, modesty, patience, courage and truth. I want to tell those in power and PM Narendra Modi that the message of Lord Ram’s life is that power is not permanent… and arrogance gets shattered,” Priyanka Gandhi added.
- The Congress general secretary also read out the demands of the opposition alliance at the ‘Loktantra Bachao Rally’ at the Ramlila ground.
- Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT): “The BJP’s dream is of crossing 400 (seats). It is time that one party and one person’s government have to go because it has become dangerous for the country. We need to bring a coalition government now.”
- “We are not here for the election campaign, we are here to protect democracy. The BJP washed the people who they once alleged of corruption. They washed them in a washing machine and made them clean and invited them to join the BJP. How can a party full of corrupts run the government?”
- Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress): “The BJP and the RSS are like poison, don’t taste it. They have destroyed the country and they should not be allowed to destroy it further.”
- “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.”
- “This election is for saving democracy and the Constitution and we must fight unitedly,” he said.
- “There is no level-playing field in this election. PM Modi has dug up the ground and is asking the opposition to play cricket there.”
- Rahul Gandhi (Congress): “When pressure is put on umpires and captain, players are bought off and the match is won, in cricket, it is called match-fixing. We have Lok Sabha polls before us. Who selected the umpires? Before the match started, two players were arrested… Narendra Modi is trying to do match-fixing in these polls.”
- “Two chief ministers were arrested. What kind of election is this… Match-fixing is being done by PM Modi along with three-four billionaires. This is being done to snatch the Constitution from the poor.
- “A BJP MP said ‘we will change the Constitution when we get over 400 seats’. It was not said just like that, it was to test the idea.”
- “They think the country can be run with the threats and intimidation of police, CBI and ED… You can buy media and suppress them but you cannot suppress the voice of India. No force in this world can suppress this voice of people.”
- Mehbooba Mufti (PDP): “Today, the country is going through some tough times. People are being jailed without any investigation. This is ‘Kalyug ka Amrit Kaal’. I am not talking about Umar Khalid or Mohammad Zubair, I am talking about your elected representatives. It is not surprising to me. Myself, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, all three former CMs are under house arrest. The one who violates the law is a traitor.”
- “All the arrested leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren would be free when all of you would hold onto the Constitution. At the time of elections, press the button that would remove this government. All of us have to come together and walk together.. We are never going to leave this alliance,” he said.
- Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party): “The BJP is worried that it is going (out of power). While we (opposition leaders) are coming to Delhi today, the PM is going out of Delhi. This shows who is going out (of power).”
- “This is a new invention… put ED, CBI, IT to work, and get as much donation as you like. If we go by the figures, no one in the universe would have said as many lies as the BJP has.”
- “With the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, the BJP is being criticised all over the world. It has been proved that the government can do whatever it wants. Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren went to jail. Arvind Kejriwal went to jail. There are allegations against all the people of the opposition. But, will there be any action against the BJP which is looting and doing corruption in Uttar Pradesh?”
- Tejashwi Yadav: “Cases have been slapped on me, my father, mother, sisters. We are not the ones to get scared. The manner in which Hemant Soren ji and (Arvind) Kejriwal ji have been arrested (has been seen by everyone). We are not going to be cowed down by their threat. Only lion is locked up. We are lions and we also never shy away from struggle.”
- “When people will give a befitting reply Modi ji will be out of power..cast your vote. BJP people are liars don’t believe them.”
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
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