PoliticsOpposition
'The entire BJP is scared of this rally,' says Pratapgarhi as INDIA bloc march sets off
Opposition leaders left the Constitution Club to join the procession from Minto Road to Ramlila Maidan, while Congress MPs on the ground accused the government of shielding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and turned the BJP's 1984 riots march back on it.
Key points
- Opposition leaders set off from the Constitution Club to join the march to Ramlila Maidan.
- Imran Pratapgarhi said the entire BJP is scared of the rally.
- Raja Warring said the government was shielding Gyanesh Kumar.
The INDIA bloc’s march on Ramlila Maidan got under way around midday on Sunday as opposition leaders left the Constitution Club to join the procession from the Minto Road and Connaught Place junction, and Congress MPs already on the ground turned their fire on the BJP.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav travelled in open buses. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav were among the leaders expected at the ground, where thousands of supporters had gathered under banners reading “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao”.
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi asked the crowd: “Why is the BJP so worried about this rally?” He answered his own question: “The entire BJP is scared of this rally.” He claimed there was anger against Gyanesh Kumar across the country.
Punjab Congress chief and MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said: “The entire government is focused on shielding Gyanesh Kumar.” He also took on the BJP’s decision to mark the 1984 anti-Sikh riots with a march of its own on the same day, saying the party had been in power for 12 years without delivering justice and asking why it raised the issue only when the Congress held a rally.
That counter-march, from the Hari Nagar bus depot to Tilak Nagar metro station, was organised with Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta among the leaders named. The BJP has accused the Congress of holding a political rally on the anniversary of the violence.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier urged Delhi residents on X to join from Connaught Place, repeating the bloc’s demands: action on alleged deletions from the electoral rolls, a return to paper ballots in place of EVMs, and Gyanesh Kumar’s immediate resignation. Delhi Police have told the organisers to wind up the rally by 5 pm.