NEW DELHI: Opposition parties comprising the INDIA bloc assembled in Jantar Mantar on Tuesday in show solidarity with AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, lodged in Tihar jail in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam.
Senior leaders of the opposition alliance took part in the demonstration in the national capital against the arrest and incarceration of Kejriwal, accusing the Centre of putting the chief minister’s health in jeopardy. The opposition alleged that Kejriwal, a patient of diabetis, is in jail only due to “political vendetta”.
Addressing the occassion, the INDIA bloc leaders attacked the Centre over alleged misuse of the investigating agencies against opposition leaders, including the chief ministers of Delhi and Jharkhand. The Opposition asserted that they are together in this fight against the “dictatorial” attitude and moves of the BJP-led Centre.
The rally was attended by NCP(SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Congress leader Gauav Gogoi, CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari, Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh, besides senior AAP leaders, including Sunita Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann.
The AAP also organised protests at major cities across the country with party leaders and workers agitating against their leader’s arrest .
During the rally at Jantar Mantar, Sunita Kejriwal asserted that her husband has been put in jail as part of a “deep political conspiracy”. Questioning the central probing agency, Sunita said, “Just before the Lok Sabha polls in March, ED put the CM in jail, without any proof,” adding that Arvind’s Kejriwal health was threatened as he was not administered insulin following his arrest. “He had to go to court to get insulin... his disease was ignored.”
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said a chief minister who was working for people has been arrested only to meet political ends. “In a democracy, public is all-powerful. BJP claimed they would win over 400 seats, but the people did not even give them majority. The BJP should understand this message, the public is against them,” Yadav said.
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said, “If the BJP is under the illusion that it can intimidate any opposition leader by using the police administration, this rally of the INDIA bloc has broken that illusion. The PM claims his chest is 56 inches wide, but he hides behind the ED and CBI. If the 2024 Lok Sabha polls had been fair, we would have been in power.”
“After BJP came to power, democracy is no longer ‘for’ the people, democracy is ‘far’ from people... and it is not ‘by’ the people, it is ‘buy’ the people,’ CPI leader D Raja said.
