New Delhi | Senior INDIA bloc leaders came together at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to demand the release of AAP supremo and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and asserted that the BJP-led central government does not have adequate numbers and will not survive for long.
NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi and Pramod Tiwari took part in the protest to show solidarity with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the arrest of its national convener.
Many of the opposition bloc leaders also accused the Centre of obstructing the work of the Delhi government and claimed that it had led to the recent incident in Old Rajinder Nagar where three students died after getting trapped in a flooded basement of a coaching centre.
Addressing the protest rally amid slogans of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "End dictatorship", Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal hit out at the BJP, saying its politics is about "hatred" and "stopping" the work of residents of the national capital.
She also alleged that her husband's life was in danger in Tihar.
Kejriwal was arrested so that he could be harassed, Yechury claimed, adding that the chief minister's name was added to an FIR by the CBI so that he does not get bail.
"After presenting the charge sheet five times, they mentioned Kejriwal's name for the first time yesterday. They feared he would get bail in the ED case, so they added his name to the FIR of CBI. We have heard of his diabetes situation, it is important to release him as soon as possible," the CPI(M) leader said.
"From '400-paar', they came down to 240, but their behaviour remains the same. They behave like kings, this cannot go on. This is harassment so that he quits politics," he added.
Asserting that the NDA government will not survive, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that it does not have adequate numbers.
"This time, the people have defeated Modi and Shah. Soon, this government will go and an INDIA bloc government will come to power," he said.
Drawing similarities between his party and AAP, Raut said it was in their DNA to fight and not bow down before dictatorship.
He added that he was lodged in jail for four months while AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was behind bars for nearly six months.
"This is the height of dictatorship. Dictators are known to be cowards and I have not seen bigger cowards than them. When our government comes, we will show them what ED, CBI are... We are warriors and will fight. Be it in Parliament or on the roads, we will fight till we secure the release of Kejriwal and his fellow leaders and will continue the fight till these people (referring to BJP leaders) are arrested," Raut said.
Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Gogoi said the BJP and its leaders cannot scare the opposition.
"Their illusion lies shattered with this rally. If fair Lok Sabha elections had been held in 2024, the BJP would have been in the opposition and we would have been in power. The BJP-led government is not going to complete its five-year term," he claimed.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Tiwari referred to Kejriwal's wife Sunita as a "symbol of resistance". He said it was the "heights" of inhumanity to keep Kejriwal in jail despite his medical reports showing a dip in his blood sugar to a dangerous level.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam and has been granted bail by the Supreme Court. However, he is currently lodged in Tihar in a connected CBI case.
Pawar lauded Kejriwal for working for the people of Delhi and said that was the reason he was put behind bars.
"Arvind Kejriwal ji has been elected as the chief minister of Delhi thrice by the people. His governance in Delhi has set an example for the entire country. He has received immense love from the people.
"Frustrated by this, Narendra Modi and the BJP government hatched a conspiracy to attack democracy and put him in jail and his health is being played with there," he charged.
Yadav said whenever the opposition bloc comes to power, it will do away with the agencies that are targeting its leaders. He also assured AAP workers that his party was standing with them in their hour of struggle.
Yadav demanded that all cases against the Delhi chief minister should be withdrawn and he be released from jail.
"Kejriwal was arrested just to show political strength. But I want to tell those powerful people that in a democracy, people have the biggest power.
"The people who said '400-paar' did not get a majority. In Uttar Pradesh, where they said they would get 80 seats, the people not only defeated them but also restricted them from gaining a majority by giving a mandate in favour of the SP and INDIA bloc," he said.
RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said they have a long battle ahead as he urged people to take to the streets to save the nation.
"Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren stood up to the two most powerful people in the country. These powerful people think that the Constitution is like a cow tied to their doors. It is because of your efforts that these people were restricted to 240 seats. This will change to 140 also.
"The dictator is not scared of Parliament but of roads. This issue is not about Kejriwal but about whether this country will survive. Saving this country is everyone's responsibility," he said, raising 'Inquilab Zindabad' and 'Jai Hind' slogans.
