New Delhi [India], November 1 : Launching a direct offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra said the INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan is a national movement aimed at saving the Constitution and safeguarding the democratic foundation of India.
Speaking to ANI in the national capital, the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief asserted that the fundamental right to vote is under threat from the ruling dispensation and the poll panel.
"This mega rally is aimed at saving democracy, the Constitution, and the nation itself. The country is governed by the Constitution, which grants the right to vote—the very foundation upon which democracy functions. PM Modi, Gyanesh Kumar, and Amit Shah seek to dismantle all of this," Dotasra said.
Highlighting the large-scale public participation at the venue, the Congress leader claimed that citizens across India have recognised the threat to democratic institutions and are stepping forward to defend their rights.
"The people of the country have now realised this. People from across the nation are participating in this mega-rally to protect our democracy," he added.
The remarks come as thousands of opposition leaders and party cadres from across the INDIA bloc converged at Delhi's historic Ramlila Maidan to register a joint protest against alleged systemic voter roll deletions and institutional compromise within the Election Commission of India.
Launching a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India at the INDIA bloc's mega rally, Rajasthan Leader of Opposition (LoP) Tika Ram Jully on Sunday demanded the immediate resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that he was functioning as an "agent for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)" rather than discharging his duties with constitutional integrity.
"Gyanesh Kumar must resign. An individual who, while holding a constitutional position, fails to perform their duties with integrity, acting instead as an agent for the BJP, ought to resign and face punishment. The Election Commission’s mandate is to conduct elections with impartiality, ensuring that the will of the common people is reflected, so that those whom the public desires become their elected representatives. The current misuse of constitutional institutions is wrong. We must all firmly raise the voice of the common people of this country...", he said.
Earlier, dismissing concerns that the opposition's mass mobilisation would cause distress to businesses in the national capital, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a swipe at the BJP leadership, asserting that the "only two traders in this country are Narendra Modi and Amit Shah," and if the opposition's mega demonstration causes them losses, "so be it."
Speaking to ANI here ahead of the INDIA bloc’s massive show of strength at Ramlila Maidan, the Rajya Sabha parliamentarian claimed that lakhs of citizens are breaking through barricades to converge on Delhi to demand an outright "regime change" and defend constitutional democracy.
"Lakhs of people are arriving. There are significant attempts to stop them, but the more they try to block people, the larger the crowd will grow. People will break through all the barricades to get here. They want a regime change. They do not want this govt. The strength we are set to demonstrate at the Ramlila Maidan today is the strength of the nation, not just that of any single party. It is the nation’s strength; the people of this country will be there... Such national-level programs will continue to be held in Delhi, right before the eyes of PM Modi and Amit Shah", he said.
He added, "There are no real concerns among the traders; in this country, the only two 'traders' are Modi ji and Shah ji. They are certainly suffering losses. If such movements cause them losses, then so be it..."