A historic rally took place in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan convened by the India Block. They advanced a five-point mandate, stressing the Election Commission should ensure fair play in the Lok Sabha elections, impede misuse of investigative agencies for political ends, and push for the immediate release of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Delhi's CM Arvind Kejriwal, both apprehended on separate corruption charges.
The India coalition demands an immediate halt to forced actions choking the financial lifeline of opposition political parties during elections. They also called for a Special Investigation Team under Supreme Court supervision to investigate misuse of campaign funds for revenge politics, extortion, and money laundering accusations against BJP.
Leaders Unite at India Block's Massive Rally
Following the arrests of CM Kejriwal and former CM Soren, eminent leaders demonstrated solidarity at the grand rally in Ramlila Maidan, advocating for the preservation of democracy and the constitution. Prominent attendees included Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, NCP's Sharad Pawar, National Conference's Farooq Abdullah, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena, left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja, SP's Akhilesh Yadav, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, and TMC's Derek O'Brien.
Calpana Soren and Sunita Kejriwal also Address the Rally
Among the voices heard were Sunita Kejriwal and JMM leader Hemant Soren's wife Calpana, both condemning the central government for their husbands' arrests on corruption charges, with Sunita reading a letter from her husband.
'Our Sisters are Fighting': Uddhav's Emotive Speech
In a fervent address, Uddhav Thackeray criticized the government as becoming authoritarian and called for the dethroning of BJP from power. He said, 'We're here not for election campaigns but to save democracy. What kind of governance is this, where allegations translate directly to jail terms? He added, 'Our sisters are fighting, how can a brother stay behind? We stand with our sisters, Calpana and Sunita. Not just us, but the entire nation is with you.'
