Representing the Congress at a mega gathering of opposition parties in Kolkata on Saturday, Mallikarjun Kharge said party chief Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had sent their good wishes for the rally.
At the rally, Mr. Kharge, the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, read out a message from Sonia Gandhi, highlighting the “crisis” looming over the country with farmers and fishermen living under immense strain.
Under the BJP-led government, the economic and political institutions of India were being undermined, he said, adding that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will be for the restoration of democracy in the country.
Mr. Kharge, who participated at the rally organised by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee as the emissary of Ms. Sonia and Mr. Rahul Gandhi, said, “Till we (opposition parties) unite, we will have to continue seeing Modi and Shah trample democracy and the secular values of the country.”
Congress’s national spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi was also present at the rally.
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi time and again referred to his “na khaunga na khane dunga” (neither will I eat nor allow anyone to eat) slogan, Mr. Kharge wondered what the Prime Minister was actually doing.
“He himself is not eating, but he is allowing Adani, Ambani and his corporate friends to benefit,” he said.
Going by Mr. Modi’s promise of creating two crore jobs every year, 9.5 crore jobs should have been created by now, the Congress leader said, adding that instead, the government had rendered 1.6 crore people jobless.
Referring to demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), he alleged that the two measures had triggered an economic crisis in the country.
At the end of his speech, Mr. Kharge said in Hindi, “Manzil door hain, rasta kathin hain, phir bhi pahuchna hain. Dil mile na mile, kamse kam haath mila kar chalo (The destination is far and the road is difficult but still, we have to reach there. Whether our hearts meet or not, we should walk holding hands).”
After Mr. Kharge’s speech, Ms. Banerjee thanked Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for their good wishes for the rally and for sending the two senior party leaders to the function.
Aim is to form secular govt: Abhishek Singhvi
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi hailed TMC’s mega opposition rally, and said the aim of the rainbow alliance was to defeat the BJP and form a secular government.
Mr. Singhvi is representing the Congress at the Brigade Parade Grounds, where leaders of all the opposition parties, except the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the CPI(M)-led Left Front, are participating in the rally.
“Never before have we seen such vendetta politics...When Amit Shah did 100 rallies in Uttar Pradesh, no one questioned, but when RJD organised a rally, it got an Income Tax notice,” he said.
Congress is an ally of the Lalu Prasad’s RJD in the ’Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) in Bihar.
Accusing the government of indulging in “cheap politics”, the Congress leader said the biggest beneficiary of vote division is the BJP.
“(Prime Minister) Narendra Modi makes fun of the opposition alliance, but his party made the most unethical alliance in Kashmir. What would he say about it?” Mr. Singhvi said.