After flexing their muscles by taking out a silent a “Save Constitution” rally in south Mumbai on the occasion of the 69th Republic Day, the Opposition parties on Friday decided to meet in New Delhi on January 29 to discuss and decide on a “way ahead” to take on the BJP in the 2019 lok Sabha polls.
Talking to the media at the Gateway of India where the “Save Constitution” rally taken out by the Opposition parties culminated, NCP founder-president Sharad Pawar said that “like-minded’ Opposition parties had decided to come together to “save” the Constitution.
“It would be a great disservice to the nation and the Constitution if we do not raise our voice against the assault on the Constitution. All like-minded parties will meet in Delhi on January 29 to deliberate on a way ahead against the BJP,” Pawar said.
With Pawar taking the initiative, leaders of various Opposition parties on Friday made the first effort to build an anti-BJP front by descending on Mumbai. Apart from Pawar, several Opposition leaders, including Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan (all Congress), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Sharad Yadav (rebel JD-U leader), D Raja (CPI), Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress), Omar Abdullah (National Conference), Hardik Patel, (Gujarat’s Patidar leader), Jignesh Patel (Gujarat leader); Praful Patel, DP Tripathi, Supriya Sule (all NCP); ex-MP Ram Jethmalani and farmer MP from Maharashtra Raju Shetti participated in the rally.
Informed sources in the NCP said that Pawar had initiated the process to build “Opposition unity” ahead of the 2019 polls after taking into confidence Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. “He (Pawar) has already spoken to Rahul Gandhi on this issue twice,” an NCP leader privy to the anti-BJP Opposition strategy said.
The visiting Opposition leaders met at the official residence of the leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil of the Congress located near Mantralaya ( the state secretariat) before embarking upon the “save Constitution” rally.
Addressing the media along with Pawar and other visiting Opposition leaders, Yechury charged that the fundamental rights of people across the country, guaranteed by the Constitution, were being “assaulted” by the ruling BJP at the Centre.
“All the opposition parties have come together at the Gateway of India, which was once seen as a sign of slavery but is now a sign of freedom to save our democratic institutions, for which we have taken an oath,” Yechury said.
Yechury said that all like-minded political parties, which were committed to saving the nation from being “destroyed” by the BJP, would unite against the ruling BJP.
“Our Constitution ensures equality for all. However, the fundamental rights, guaranteed by the Constitution, are being assaulted,” Yechuri said.
Prithiviraj Chavan charged that the Government had pushed the country towards “dictatorship”, and said all secular-minded people, who have a stake in democracy, would have to unite to fight against the BJP.
“They are attempting to change the Constitution and this poses a grave threat to the country,” Chavan said.
The latest is the first major attempt — after Nitish Kumar-led grand alliance) of RJD, JD(U) and Congress handed out a humiliating defeat to BJP in 2015 Bihar Assembly poll — to forge a grand nation-wide Opposition alliance to take on the BJP-led NDA in the forthcoming lok Sabha polls.
Pawar’s role in the efforts to forge a formidable Opposition-alliance to take on the BJP-led NDA in the forthcoming lok Sabha polls should be seen in the light of the fact that it was he who had made the first move by inviting the Opposition leaders of various political hues to Thursday’s “Save Constitution” rally in Mumbai.