Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee convened a mega rally called the “United India Rally” at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday for a grand alliance of opposition parties against the Narendra Modi government.
Among the first to make an appearance were Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, DMK chief MK Stalin, former BJP leader Arun Shourie, Loktantrik Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav and Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar.
However, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi have given the rally a miss but on Friday Gandhi wrote to Banerjee extending his “support” to the rally.
Read: ‘Oppn is united’: Rahul Gandhi writes to 'Mamata di' a day before mega rally
“The entire opposition is united. I extend my support to Mamata Di on this show of unity and hope that we send a powerful message of a united India together," Rahul Gandhi wrote in the letter.
Here are the updates:
'If speaking truth amounts to rebellion then, of course, I am a rebel,' says Shatrughan Sinha
Echoing Rahul Gandhi's 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' slogan, BJP's disgruntled MP Shatrughan Sinha attacked PM Modi while sharing dais with opposition leaders and said he was ready to be declared a "rebel" if speaking the truth amounted to rebellion.
"If speaking truth amounts to rebellion then, of course, I am a rebel," said Shatrughan Sinha.
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"I am in BJP but before that, I am with the people of the country. Party is bigger than individual and nation is bigger than the party," he said.
"I show the mirror to the party so that they see the truth," said Sinha. Comparing the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the present dispensation led by PM Modi, he said that the present regime is "dictatorial" and "autocratic".
'Whether our hearts meet or not, we should walk holding hands', says Mallikarjun Kharge
Representing the Congress at mega rally, Mallikarjun Kharge said party chief Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had sent their good wishes for the rally.
At the rally, Kharge, the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, read out a message from Sonia Gandhi, highlighting the "crisis" looming over the country with farmers and fishermen living under immense strain.
Kharge as the emissary of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, said, "Till we (opposition parties) unite, we will have to continue seeing Modi and Shah trample democracy and the secular values of the country."
At the end of his speech, Kharge said in Hindi, "Manzil door hain, rasta kathin hain, phir bhi pahuchna hain. Dil mile na mile, kamse kam haath mila kar chalo (The destination is far and the road is difficult but still, we have to reach there. Whether our hearts meet or not, we should walk holding hands)."
Oppn parties should forget their differences, fight BJP unitedly, says Deve Gowda
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said with the general elections close at hand, the opposition parties should forget their differences and come together to fight the BJP unitedly.
The herculean task of seat-sharing for the coming Lok Sabha elections has to be addressed to ensure direct fight against the BJP, he said.
Stating that a question often asked is who would be the prime minister after Modi, he said the opposition leaders must have confidence that they can give a stable government for five years.
'Narendra Modi is a publicity PM, we want a performing PM,' says Chandrababu Naidu
"Narendra Modi is a publicity PM, we want a performing PM," said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
"Five years ago, people gave the mandate for the BJP. They betrayed the nation. They gave slogans. Jan Dhan, mudra loan, good governance, smart cities, bringing back black money, two crore jobs, acche din. These are all slogans. None of these have been fulfilled," he pointed out.
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"He (PM Modi) promised that the income of the farmers will be doubled but in reality, farmers are still reeling under the poverty, they are not getting Minimum Support Price and are also committing suicide due to weak policies. The agricultural growth rate of the country has also slowed down," Naidu added.
Talking on Rafale deal, Naidu said, "They have misled the nation on this issue too. They also misled the Supreme Court by filing the wrong affidavit. They have only bought 36 Rafale jets with a large sum of money. They are betraying the nation in a big way."
"Not only that, the present government is also misusing their powers by influencing premier institutions like CBI and ED," he added.
"In Karnataka, it is an elected government but they want to manipulate and destabilise the Karnataka government. They are going to pay a heavy price. BJP is offering bribes to MLAs in the state. Just like animals, they want to purchase the MLAs. They are misusing their powers. We have only one ambition - save India, save democracy,” Naidu added.
'It was Pakistan's dream to split India into pieces but Modi government did,' says AAP's Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called upon people to defeat the "dangerous" BJP government at the Centre at any cost.
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"If the (Narendra) Modi-(Amit) Shah combine continues to rule the country by winning the 2019 elections, it will change the Constitution and further elections will never take place. A fascist regime will set in as was done by Hitler in Germany," Kejriwal said.
"It was Pakistan's dream to split this country into pieces. This BJP government is going ahead in that direction by creating enmity among people and dividing the nation on the lines of religion, language..." Kejriwal added.
SP-BSP alliance led to wave of happiness; BJP worried, says SP's Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the coming together of the SP and the BSP has led to a wave of happiness in the country and left a worried BJP to hold meeting after meeting to devise a strategy to win even one seat in Uttar Pradesh.
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"They ask, who is PM candidate of opposition parties... We say people will decide the PM candidate from our side. But from their side, this name (Narendra Modi) has disappointed the country, who is your another name?" Yadav said.
Democratic government at the Centre is headed by some undemocratic persons, says Kumaraswamy
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that in 70 years, the country has seen an emergence of strong regional parties which have played important roles to protect the interest of their own states and understanding the emotions of their own people.
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Stating that India is one of the strongest democracies in the world, Kumaraswamy said, "But today we are witnessing a day where the democratic government (at the Centre) is headed by some undemocratic persons."
"It is unfortunate that the Union government has turned deaf and mute to the needs of the people of the country," Kumaraswamy said.
The present union government gives incentives, tax rebates and subsidies to industries, but farmers are treated differently.
Upcoming LS polls will be second freedom struggle for India, says MK Stalin
DMK president M K Stalin said the upcoming general elections will be akin to the second freedom struggle for people of India to fight against the "radical Hinduism" of the BJP.
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"The next (Lok Sabha) elections will be the second fight for Independence. We will stop this poison of Hindutva and radical Hinduism from spreading. Our call is to defeat Modi and save the country," he said.
"If Modi is back in power, the country will go back 50 years," he said.
BSP-SP alliance started the process to uproot BJP govt, says BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra
Senior Bahujan Samaj Party leader Satish Chandra Mishra said the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh has started the process of uprooting the "anti-Dalit" and "anti-Minority" NDA government at the Centre.
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Mishra said this "successful" rally has put its stamp that in order to keep safe Baba Saheb Ambedkar's constitution it is necessary to defeat the BJP government.
Mishra, who participated in the opposition rally as an emissary of BSP chief Mayawati sat next to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on the dais.
He said the BJP which came to power by showing "false dreams" to the people, after coming to power it initiated "anti-people" policies like demonetization and GST which caused lot of "hardship" to common people, particularly dalits and minorities.
Pitch single oppn candidate in each seat against BJP to win LS poll, says Arun Shourie
Former union minister Arun Shourie asked the opposition to work together to throw out the BJP government at the Centre in the coming Lok Sabha polls. The opposition parties should unitedly pitch single candidates against the BJP contestants in the country to win the Lok Sabha poll.
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"It will not be an easy work - pitching a single opposition candidate in each seat against the BJP. But we must sacrifice for the country, with a sense of love for it," Shourie said.
"The Bengal tigress has given the call to oust BJP. I am sure it will be successful," he added.
NC leader Farooq Abdullah calls EVM a 'chor machine'
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah called the EVM the "chor machine" and demanded that the ballot paper system should be brought back for the sake of transparency.
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"It is not the question of ousting any single person (PM Modi) but of saving the country and honouring the sacrifices of those who fought for its freedom. The EVM is chor machine. Honestly speaking, it is so. Its use must be put to an end. Nowhere in the world is the machine used. The opposition parties should approach the Election Commission and the President of India to stop the use of the EVM and bring back the old ballot papers for the sake of transparency," he said.
He blamed the BJP for the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and said people are being divided on religious lines.
He said BJP stood for the Triple Talaq Bill in Parliament but did not pass the Women's Reservation Bill.
"We have to fight and oust BJP. We have to come together to put up a one-to-one fight against it. We should fight together to strengthen our country," he said.
PM Modi, Amit Shah 'afraid' of the grand alliance, says Cong leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi:
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah were "afraid" of the grand alliance and that's why they keep on poking fun at it.
"All the people (participating in the event) have the same agenda - to avoid the division of votes, which BJP has always been in favour of. The policies of this BJP-led central government need to end," Singhvi said.
"Today, there is a feeling of fear in the country, there is a feeling of vengeance. We have to come forward to stand against it as one," he added.
The aim of the rainbow alliance was to defeat the BJP and form a secular government.
The Congress was represented officially by Lok Sabha leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
Apt slogan for Modi govt would be 'sabka saath sabka vinash', says Yashwant Sinha:
Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha came down heavily on Modi government saying that this was the first government after Independence which has been playing "mischief" with the developmental statistics.
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Sinha, who was in a committee to find a solution to the Kashmir problem said when he had suggested talking to the cross-section of people in the environment of love, he was branded a "Pakistani agent".
While speaking, he urged NC leader Farooq Abdullah did he spoke wrong on this count, to which the NC leader nodded in negative.
The former Union Minister made fun of Modi's government's slogan of "sabka saath sabka vikas" and said the apt slogan would be "sabka saath sabka vinash".
Entire northeast 'burning' because of the Citizenship Amendment Bill: ZNP leader Lalduhawma
Zoram Nationalist Party leader Lalduhawma said the entire northeast was "burning" because of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
"If the bill was enacted, India will no longer be the place that it used to be. So we want a secular government at the Centre so that this bill is withdrawn or exemption must be given to the northeast," he said.
Lalduhawma is also the Leader of Opposition in the Mizoram Assembly alleged that the BJP, RSS are trying to rewrite the history in their own way.
After Lalduhawma’s speech, Banerjee said her party was against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
‘Mahagathbandhan’ will ensure the defeat of RSS, BJP: Jignesh Mevani
Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani said leader coming to TMC’s rally gives a message for change in the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Mevani said that the ‘mahagathbandhan’ will ensure the defeat of the RSS and the BJP and expressed hope that it will form the government in the Centre, will ensure the upholding of the Constitution and will become a true socialist republic.
"The country is going through an unprecedented crisis with the exploitation of the poor, minorities and Dalits in the four-and-half-year rule of the BJP," the independent MLA from Gujarat said.
'We are fighting against thieves,' says Hardik Patel
Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patel said while Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had given a call to fight against the 'goro' (Britishers) "we are fighting against 'choro' (thieves)."
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Patel also thanked the West Bengal Chief Minister for bringing all the major opposition leaders on one platform and pointing towards 'jansalab' (mass gathering) said it was an indication that BJP is on its way out of power.
