INDIA bloc's March 31 rally not 'person or party specific': Congress's Jairam Ramesh

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress General Secretary in-charge communication Jairam Ramesh said, "Tomorrow's rally will not be a rally of one party or save one person but of 28 parties of INDIA alliance. Moreover, it will be necessary to save our democracy and Constitution."

Notably, the AAP had said in a press conference last Sunday that the INDIA bloc would organise a mega rally on March 31 at Ramleela Maidan in Delhi to demonstrate against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 under the anti-money laundering law following raids at his official residence in the Civil Lines area of the capital city.

However, Congress Delhi Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely had said, "March 31 'maha rally' will not be 'political' but a call to save the country's democracy and raise voice against Centre."

In Saturday’s press conference, Jairam Ramesh said the rally will be attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior leaders of the party, Sharad Pawar, Tejashwi Yadav, D Raja, Akhilesh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Tiruchi Siva, Jharkhand CM Champai Soren, and Derek O' Brien.

He added, "Tomorrow's rally at Ramlila Ground will send a message to the BJP government that the INDIA bloc is united and will fight the election together."

Calling it the second biggest rally of INDIA bloc after the Shivaji Ground rally in Mumbai, Ramesh said, "Despite failed seat sharing with the TMC in West Bengal, the party will participate in the rally at Ramlila Maidan."

Ramesh said the INDIA parties will raise issues like “price of rice, unemployment, financial crisis, social disparity, atrocities on farmers, attack on opposition parties, misuse of government agencies, and the Electoral Bonds scam, which is the biggest scam in the history of Independent India.”

Accusing the Centre of targeting the opposition, Ramesh said, "The government, by misusing the central agencies, is arresting elected ministers and Chief Ministers. This is nothing but a conspiracy. The Prime Minister wants all opposition parties to become handicapped."

He hoped that thousands of people would participate in the rally tomorrow.