Opposition lashes out at BJP, to hold march on noteban anniversary

Sitaram Yechury and Sharad Yadav at the meet on Friday. Prashant Nadkar

Opposition leaders across parties came together for a day-long programme on Friday, calling for the protection of the composite culture of India. The united opposition led by the breakaway faction of Janata Dal (United) Sharad Yadav called it a “freedom struggle” against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.

Addressing the conference held in Sion, Yadav said the Modi government had adopted the British mantra of divide and rule. “They are dividing our country in the name of religion. The country has never faced a crisis like this ever in the past seventy years. But this won’t happen if we stay united, BJP rule will end too. The so-called gau rakshaks and other goons of this government are not just lynching people but our Constitution. It’s time we stand united to save our Constitution, to save Indian values,” he added.

The first in a series of the Sanjhi Virasat Bachao Sammelan was held in Delhi, followed by Indore and Jaipur. After Mumbai, similar programmes will be held across the country.

Attacking the BJP-led government’s demonetisation and the Good and Services Tax (GST), CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the BJP government has spread “tax terrorism” in the country in the name of “useless economic policies”. “By demonetising old notes, they (BJP) managed to turn black money into white. Those who held this money will now get interest on them. The Modi government has saved banks from going bankrupt due to non-payment of loans by business tycoons. On the other side, they have spread tax terrorism in the name of GST.”

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yadav said, “This man does not get tired of delivering speeches, he can speak endlessly. Till date the Modi government has done everything but the promises they made to the people of India are still not fulfilled. Imagine the state of the country where a government threatens to go on strike.”

Yadav alleged the BJP is spreading a canard that the people of India have no other alternative.

“Modi has forgotten one rule of democracy that not him but the people of this country are the rulers. If they can vote for him, they can vote against him. The BJP had earned only 31 per cent vote, remaining 69 per cent were bagged by the united opposition. If we stay together, we can get BJP out,” said Yadav.

Yadav’s initiative, Sanjhi Virasat Bachao Sammelan’ (save composite culture conference), saw participation from Anand Sharma and Ashok Chavan from the Congress, Yechury, CPI leader D Raja, Tariq Anwar from the Nationalist Congress Party, Jaiprakash Yadav from the RJD, Jayant Choudhari from the RLD, Abu Azmi from the Samajwadi Party, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy of the Trinamool Congress and Raju Shetti of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghathana.

Former commerce minister in the UPA government Anand Sharma, said, “People here in Mumbai are dying by falling off trains and stampedes but bullet train is this government’s priority. I really wish they get the bullet train. We will come all the way from Delhi to send Modi to Ahmedabad on this very bullet train,” Sharma said.

Addressing the conference, state Congress chief Ashok Chavan said this is a campaign against the onslaught of the BJP on Indian values.

“This is also a move to form a political alliance across the spectrum against the BJP. Environment in the country is changing, people who voted for the BJP have realised their mistake and the BJP will face ouster soon. I just say one thing: ‘Modi kehte hai chai chai, Yogi kehte hai gaai gaai, and desh ki janta inhe kahegi bye bye,” Chavan said.

The united opposition also announced they will organise a silent March on November 8 (anniversary of demonetisation) calling it a black day.

Raju Shetti attacks Congress

Farmers’ leader, president of Swabhimani Paksha and MP from Hatkanangle, Raju Shetti, who left the NDA alleging the BJP government had cheated the farmers of Maharashtra, also attended the Sharad Yadav-led Sanjhi Virasat Bachao Sammelan. Shetti, who supported the BJP during the 2014 elections, on Friday came down heavily on the Congress. He said: “If the Congress and its leaders had done their job well, we would have never supported the BJP… They, instead, joined hands with the BJP in killing small and regional parties like ours. Now that they have become weak, they have called us to join them against the BJP. The BJP, on the other side, cheated us by making false promises…”

In reply, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said: “Yes, we committed some mistakes and that is why people punished us by voting us out. But now, people too have realised their mistakes…”