The mega rally of opposition parties in Kolkata has begun. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received a tumultuous welcome as she reached the Brigade Parade Ground for the opposition’s mega anti-BJP rally on Saturday.
From early morning, thousands of Trinamool activists from the city and other districts of the state have been converging at the sprawling Brigade Parade ground, where a galaxy of senior political leaders from various parts of India would address the crowd, virtually kick-starting the Opposition’s campaign ahead of the coming general election. Many arterial roads of the metropolis were witnessing traffic congestion with the TMC activists hitting the roads with various sizes of processions amidst constant sloganeering “Modi hatao, desh banchao” (remove Modi, save country).
Here are some Live Updates from the mega rally:
Watch Live:
3: 50 pm The historic United India At Brigade rally ends with the slogan “Badal do, badal do, Dilli mein sarkar badal do”
3: 45 pm West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says: A new government will be formed at the Centre. It is inevitable. Their expiry date has come. This is people’s verdict
3: 23 pm West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says: “We will work together to bring a new dawn for the country”
3: 15 pm Tejashwi Yadav says: “We are not afraid of intimidation tactics. We have to save the country”
2: 54 pm Shatrugan Sinha says: “Isse zyada jaandar, shaandar aur damdaar rally maine kabhi nahin dekha”
2: 40 pm Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda says: “The Centre is victimising leaders of Opposition parties using all machinery”
2: 29 pm Mallikarjun Kharge reads a message from Sonia Gandhi: “The upcoming general elections will be on the faith of restoring democracy in our country”
2: 10 pm Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu says: “We have only one mission – Save India. Save democracy.”
1: 57 pm Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says: “Today is a historic day for the country. The Shah-Modi duo have destroyed the country”
1: 47 pm Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav says, “Jo baat Bengal se chalegi, woh desh mein dikhai degi”
1: 35 pm Chief Minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy, says: “Regional have the strong instinct to connect with the people and protect the interests of their States”
1: 29 pm MP Satish Misra says: “The BJP is lying to the people for votes. Unemployment is rising. Farmers, labourers, minorities, Dalits are being persecuted”
1: 15 pm President of DMK, M K Stalin says: “The upcoming general elections in May will be the second freedom struggle of the country”
1.00 pm: Former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, said, “The BJP is dividing people on the basis of religion. We must all come together to defeat the divisive forces”
12.55 pm: Not one institution is left, which has not been destroyed by the current govt at Centre, said Former MP Sharad Yadav.
12.45 pm: Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi says: “Clouds are parting. A rainbow of political parties is forming. The time for a coalition has arrived”
12.45 pm: Former Union Minister Arun Shourie says: “No other government has said so many lies. Never before were institutions undermined in this manner”
12.40 pm: Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha says: “This is not about removing one man from power. We have come together to defeat an ideology.”
12.40 pm: RLD leader Jayant Chaudhury says: “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow. Mamata Didi has shown it today”
12.40 pm: JMM leader Hemant Soren called for “uprooting” the BJP from the country and said the opposition parties to give a “fitting” reply to the “communal” party in the next Lok Sabha polls.
12.35 pm: Zoram Nationalist Party leader Lalduhawma said the entire north east was “burning” because of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
12.30 pm: Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani said the coming together of so many opposition leaders at TMC’s opposition rally gives a message for change in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
12.15 pm: Subhas Chandra Bose had given slogan to fight against ‘goro’ (Britishers), we are fighting against ‘choro’ (thieves): Hardik Patel at TMC rally.
12.10 pm: Visuals from the Trinamool Congress led Opposition rally in Kolkata
Visuals from the Trinamool Congress led Opposition rally in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/o0evCZY2Yz
— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2019
12.05 pm: West Bengal: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK Chief MK Stalin received by CM Mamata Banerjee at ‘United India’ opposition rally, in Kolkata.
West Bengal: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK Chief MK Stalin received by CM Mamata Banerjee at ‘United India’ opposition rally, in Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/1FZbrIm3zK
— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2019
12.00 pm: West Bengal CM & TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee arrives at ‘United India’ opposition rally.
#Kolkata: West Bengal CM & TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee arrives at ‘United India’ opposition rally. pic.twitter.com/m693iWvoFy
— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2019