NEW DELHI: Upping the ante against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Opposition INDIA bloc said on Sunday that it will hold a mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on March 31 to protest against the BJP government’s alleged targeting of political rivals using federal agencies.
Announcing the decision at a joint press conference in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi minister Gopal Rai said all INDIA-bloc parties will hold the rally to safeguard the country’s interests and democracy. Top leaders of several opposition parties including the Congress, TMC, CPI(M), Shiv Sena (UBT), and Samajwadi Party are expected to attend the rally.
“The Prime Minister has been acting like a dictator and suppressing democracy to arrest Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Whether it is Hemant Soren in Jharkhand or Tejashwi Yadav in Bihar or the CM of West Bengal, all are being slapped with fraudulent cases to silence them ahead of the Lok Sabha polls,” said Rai.
He alleged AAP leaders are being prevented from holding protests and Kejriwal’s family has been placed under house arrest. “Our party office was sealed despite the Model Code of Conduct being in place. Now the Congress’s accounts have been frozen, so they won’t be able to run a campaign for the polls,” Rai added.
Hitting out at the BJP, Delhi Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely exhorted the public to join the proposed rally.
The Opposition leaders also alleged Kejriwal was arrested after the State Bank of India was forced to reveal the donations the BJP received through electoral bonds. One of the approvers in the Delhi liquor policy case got bail after sending money to the BJP, they alleged.
“There’s no level-playing field for the opposition parties anymore. Our leader Rahul Gandhi has been trying to save the democracy and we will stand by the AAP to save the CM,” said Lovely adding that they are hopeful that the authorities would allow them to hold the rally.
CPI(M) leader Rajiv Kunwar said the fight is against the dictatorial rule of the Modi government.
Rallying behind Kejriwal, several leaders including Congress, TMC, and CPI(M) of the INDIA bloc had met the Election Commission on Friday and submitted a memorandum on the instances of central agencies targeting them.