INDIA bloc demands level playing field, release of arrested leaders

NEW DELHI: In a show of unity, 'INDIA' bloc leaders came together at 'loktantra bachao' (save democracy) rally here on Sunday and attacked the NDA govt for being "dictatorial" and "misusing" ED and other central agencies to "rig" Lok Sabha polls by getting its opponents jailed and bank accounts of parties sealed.

At the Ramlila Maidan rally - almost all 'INDIA' parties attended it - held against the backdrop of Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and amid tensions in some states over alliance seat-sharing, leaders demanded immediate release of the Delhi CM and Jharkhand ex-CM Hemant Soren, an SC-monitored SIT probe into BJP's "extortion" through electoral bonds and a "level playing field" for upcoming elections.

Rahul Gandhi of Congress accused PM Modi of trying to engage in electoral "match-fixing along with three-four billionaires to snatch Constitution from poor". He said, "Who selected umpires (for polls)? Narendra Modi chose the umpires."

We were & are still part of INDIA: TMC's O'Brien
Before the match (LS polls) began, two players (Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal) from our team were arrested and put inside. What kind of elections are these? Govts are toppled by using money power, leaders are threatened and arrested," Rahul said.

He highlighted his own party's case saying, "Congress is the biggest opposition party and all its accounts have been frozen at a time it has to run a campaign and send leaders to states."


Priyanka Gandhi Vadra read out Congress's demand charter and said, "EC must stop coercive action by I-T department, ED and CBI to financially strangulate opposition parties and manipulate elections."

Congress was represented by the entire Gandhi family (Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka) and party president Malikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders. Other attendees included NCP's Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray, Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien, Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Farooq Abdullah (J&K National Conference), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), Tejaswi Yadav (RJD), Jharkhand CM Champai Soren and Punjab CM Bhangwant Mann (AAP), among others. Top leaders of left parties Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Dipankar Bhattacharya were also present. CMs of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, Mamata Banerjee and M K Stalin, were represented by Derek O'Brien and Tiruchi Siva respectively.

O'Brien said, "We were and are still part of INDIA." Significantly, this implies that TMC's decision to go it alone in West Bengal did not mark the party's disassociation with the block. He also highlighted that there were two empty chairs kept on the dais for Kejriwal and Soren and said they are very much with the INDIA bloc members at the rally in spirit.

Kerjiwal's wife Sunita marked a big presence. Seated in the front row, she was flanked by Soren's wife Kalpana who has been increasing her public presence since the arrest of her spouse, and Sonia Gandhi who rarely comes out for public functions. Sunita read out a message from Kejriwal, while Kalpana delivered an aggressive speech. Wives of two other senior jailed AAP figures, former minister Satyender Jain and RS member Sanjay Singh, were also present.



National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said, "We are here for one objective... to save the Constitution which is under attack".

NCP's Sharad Pawar too condemned the arrest of Kejriwal and Soren and expressed solidarity with the bloc members to counter BJP.

Priyanka concluded by stating on behalf of the alliance that "despite the undemocratic roadblocks created by BJP regime, the INDIA alliance is determined and confident to fight and win and save our democracy".