Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra listed five demands of the Opposition to the Election Commission that included the provision of a level playing field before the elections.
New Delhi: The INDIA bloc's rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan this afternoon, was a massive show of strength where the leaders of all major Opposition parties pressed for the release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Jharkhand's former Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The leaders flagged concerns about the health of the country's democracy, accusing the BJP of decimating the Opposition through the Central investigative agencies. The BJP hit back, declaring that the rally was not about saving democracy as projected but a "save family" and "hide corruption" rally.
Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra listed five demands of the Opposition to the Election Commission that included the provision of a level playing field before the elections.
Efforts to forcefully scuttle the finances of Opposition parties should be immediately stopped, Ms Gandhi Vadra said, without mentioning the freeze on Congress funds and the latest Income Tax notice. Action by the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and the Income Tax department should also be stopped, she said, reading out the list of demands.
The alliance also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team investigate what they called the BJP's "extortion" of funds through the electoral bonds scheme.
The "Loktantra Bachao Rally", the leaders said, is a mark of the INDIA bloc's commitment to fighting, winning, and saving democracy in India.
"If the BJP wins these fixed elections and changes the Constitution, the country will be on fire," declared Congress's Rahul Gandhi. "You have to decide if you want democracy or dictatorship... Those who support dictatorship need to be kicked out of the country," added party ch9ief Mallikarjun Kharge.
"A new energy in the politics of India has been born today... Today, the slogan for independence is being raised here... It is our independence that our Constitution and our republic are protected. We will gain this independence," said CPM's Sitaram Yechury.
Punjab Chief Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Mann declared that Arvind Kejriwal was not a man but an ideology.