The INDIA bloc staged a nationwide protest on Friday against the suspension of 146 MPs from Parliament during the recently concluded Winter session. The bloc called on people to unite to save democracy in the country, accusing the ruling BJP of stifling the voice of the opposition. The leaders also urged for the defeat of the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The protest in the national capital at Jantar Mantar was led by top Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, his party colleague Rahul Gandhi, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Similar protests were held by members of the INDIA alliance in Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Patna, Bengaluru, Panaji, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Ranchi, and other cities across the country. Leaders of Left parties, DMK, SP, NC, TMC, JMM, RJD, and other members of the Opposition coalition attended the protest.
The BJP criticised Rahul as an immature and undemocratic leader, dismissing the INDIA bloc’s protest at Jantar Mantar. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur emphasised the need for MPs to speak in one voice on such sensitive matters and criticised leaders like Rahul Gandhi for levelling false allegations. Thakur said INDIA bloc parties did not participate in discussions in Parliament over people’s issues and important Bills, suggesting that they had lost their mental balance following recent Assembly polls rout.
Leaders present at the Jantar Mantar protest included NCP’s Sharad Pawar, CPIM’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja, JMM’s Mahua Maji, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha, TMC’s Mausam Noor, NC’s Hasnain Masoodi, Revolutionary Socialist Party’s N K Premachandran, and SP’s S T Hasan.
Addressing the gathering in the national capital, Kharge asserted that democracy is under threat under the BJP government. Rahul Gandhi stated that opposition members were suspended from Parliament for demanding answers on the Parliament security breach issue. He emphasized that the government’s action silenced the voice of 60 percent of Indians.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar accused the government of trying to silence the opposition and expressed readiness to pay any price to save democracy. Sitaram Yechury highlighted the government’s accountability to Parliament, emphasizing the sovereignty of the people of India through their representatives.
Trinamool Congress MP Mausam Noor called for a “BJP-free India,” while CPI general secretary D Raja claimed the government is attempting to make Parliament redundant.
The Samajwadi Party staged a protest in Lucknow and other districts of Uttar Pradesh, while Congress protested at Indira Park in Hyderabad, led by Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc in Bihar also staged protests across the state against the en masse suspension of members of Parliament in the just-concluded winter session. The state’s ruling coalition, known as ‘Mahagathbandhan,’ comprises six of the INDIA bloc’s constituents, namely Congress, RJD, JD(U), CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI, and CPI(M).
