The INDIA alliance launched its national campaign for the Lok Sabha elections at a well-attended rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar on Sunday evening. Leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav Thackeray, MK Stalin, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Tejaswi Yadav, Mallikarjun Kharge, Prakash Ambedkar, Sharad Pawar and others made a frontal attack on PM Modi and accused him of subverting the Constitution.
Kharge went to the extent of claiming that the upcoming polls could well be the last elections in the country.
Bring down Modi's "dictatorial" regime
The leaders appealed to the people to bring down the "dictatorial" regime of the BJP led by Modi. Thackeray observed that just as the earlier India Shining campaign of the BJP had flopped the current elections (on the plank of Viksit Bharat) too would fail miserably.
He said Sunday's rally marked the beginning of the nationwide movement to unseat the BJP regime and put an end to its anti-people and pro-rich policies.
Vijay Gohil
Vijay Gohil
Vijay Gohil
Rahul Gandhi slams Modi and the BJP
Rahul Gandhi said "there is one 'Shakti' (read the RSS) behind Modi which is directing him to do unconstitutional things. Narendra Modiji is only the mask. His chest is hollow...it is not 56 inches. Without EVM Modi can't win the election. Modiji's aatma (soul) is in the EVM, ED, CBI and Income tax department."
Gandhi further said, "I had decided to carry out the Bharat Jodi Yatra (BJY) because no one is raising issues of farmers, agniveers and unemployment. All opposition parties had participated in BJY. The social media is not showing the true picture because there is pressure on the American company owning them."
He claimed that he was threatened by the late BJP leader Arun Jaitley to not raise the land acquisition issue. Otherwise that he would be sent to jail. "But I refused and fought against the BJP."
Vijay Gohil
Vijay Gohil
Gandhi said, "A leader from Maharashtra was crying in front of Sonia Gandhi and told her 'I am ashamed, I can't fight against this unknown power'. He was not the only one. But many leaders were threatened. These leaders from the Shiv Sena and NCP leaders were all scared and left their parties." He accused Modi of spreading hatred in society and appealed to the people to put an end to this.
Here are quotes of some leaders during the event
Uddhav Thackeray: "BJP is a balloon, We filled air in this balloon. Now the time has come to break it. Maharashtra is the land of the brave and if someone tries to break us we will break him. I thank Rahul Gandhi for culminating his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in this historic Shivaji Park. The call 'Abki baar, BJP tadipar' will resonate India. "
Vijay Gohil
Vijay Gohil
Vijay Gohil
M K Stalin Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: "The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was not the journey of Rahul and the Congress but of whole India. Modi did nothing in the last ten years. But he did two things - several foreign trips and indulging in propaganda. We must stop this. Modi defamed our alliance terming it as corrupt but the electoral bond scam proved that the BJP is the most corrupt. It received ovet Rs 8,000 crores through this scam. Modi has no moral right to talk about corruption. Our only goal is to defeat BJP and save India."
Vijay Gohil
Former Jammu Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah: "I salute this land. This land has made leaders who fought against Britishers. EVM is evil. You should vote in large numbers to defeat the EVM. Once our government comes to power EVM machines will go and ballot paper will return, the Election Commission will be free and patriots will handle the Commission."
Vijay Gohil
Sharad Pawar: "It’s time to vote and replace those who have deceived us with false promises. The so-called 'Modi ki guarantee' is nothing but a hollow proclamation. Mumbai, a city steeped in historical significance, once resonated with Mahatma Gandhi’s call to action against British rule with ‘Bharat Chhodo’. Now, echoing from these very streets, is a fervent plea to ‘BJP Chhodo’, marking a shift in political sentiment."
