Opposition Coalition Stages Delhi Rally to Attack Electoral Institutions and Stir Political Chaos
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Twenty-one opposition parties gathered at Ramlila Maidan to launch a loud campaign against electoral procedures and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with speakers leveling sweeping accusations against the government and the BJP.
A large rally was organized at Ramlila Maidan by leaders and supporters from 21 opposition parties under the INDIA bloc, with the event dominated by accusations of electoral misconduct and aggressive demands aimed at India’s democratic institutions. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he controls voter selection and declaring, "Today, in the country, Narendra Modi is deciding who will cast the vote!" He insisted that those he branded as "vote thieves" must be removed to protect democracy.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, echoed these charges and pushed a vision of the country in which farmers' aspirations are met and jobs are provided. He attacked the concentration of power in a few hands and called for communal harmony, alleging that the current government spreads hatred. Gandhi invoked Mahatma Gandhi's principle that the voices of the marginalized must be protected.
Mamata Banerjee, chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress, accused the BJP of undermining democracy in Bengal and beyond, while Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav pointed to the party's complaints to the Election Commission regarding vote theft. He said, "We still remember Bengal’s election and the pictures from there, where the election was stolen through the might of SIR and force."
Bihar Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav criticized the BJP's claims of patriotism, arguing that the party is trying to dictate who can vote. Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Peoples Democratic Party, warned against efforts to change the Constitution and restrict voting rights.
Dipankar Bhattacharya from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation denounced the SIR initiative as a tool for disenfranchisement, while M.A. Baby from CPI(Marxist) called Modi the "emperor of lies," saying unity is necessary to fight electoral fraud. Neha Bora, national president of the All India Students Association, concluded the rally by stating that the public would resist any anti-national efforts.