New Delhi: Left party leaders Sunday said the country was facing a “calamity” and that the ruling BJP was not just fighting an election, it was waging a war against democracy and the opposition.
They said democracy in India was “under attack” and called for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) defeat in the upcoming general elections.
Addressing the opposition INDIA bloc’s rally here, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, “Today a new energy has been created in Indian politics, which will make Indian democracy win and autocracy lose…” Yechury said.
He stressed that it was important to save democracy, secularism and the Indian Constitution. “We will defeat those powers which are destroying the nation,” he said.
Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja said the country is facing a “calamity”.
“Union government is using ED, IT and all central agencies to target opposition parties. The country is facing a calamity, a big calamity, and we have to save our country,” he said.
“We should demonstrate our strength in upcoming election. India will be saved,” Rajas said.
CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar said the money from the electoral bonds was used to topple elected governments.
“We had to come to this rally in the middle of elections… The party in power is not fighting an election, they are fighting a war against democracy and the opposition… You can see how through electoral bonds money was collected and not it is being used to break parties and topple governments. MPs and MLAs are being bought,” he said.
“Those who cannot be bought are being sent to jail. In Delhi, several leaders of Aam Aadmi Party are in ED’s clutches. We saw in Jharkhand, Hemant Soren is in jail. In Bihar, our Dalit MLA Manoj Manzil and 22 others have been sent to jail in forged cases,” he said.
All India Forward Bloc general secretary G Devarajan said the Constitution and democracy was under threat in India.
“They arrested a chief minister, froze the bank account of the largest opposition party. Agencies like CBI, ED, IT are being used to put opposition leaders in jail. This is murder of democracy,” Devarajan said.
“Narendra Modi ji is an inflated balloon. In the 2024 election, we have to burst this balloon,” he said.
“They want to create an autocracy in the country after sending all opposition leaders to jail. They say they will change Constitution if they get 400 seats… They are murderers of democracy,” Devarajan added.
Opposition INDIA bloc Sunday held a ‘Save Democracy’ rally at the Ramlila Maidan here, in a show of strength and Opposition unity just before Lok Sabha polls.
PTI