Opposition leaders claimed that the BJP-led Centre is 'trying to suppress the voice of those who oppose them'.
INDIA bloc leaders gathered at Jantar Mantar here on Tuesday to demand the release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal amid his declining health and hit out at the BJP-led Centre for "suppressing" the voice of oppositᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚion.
They also blamed the Centre for o𝕴bstructing the work of the Delhi government, therefore leading to the recent incident in Rajinder Nagar where three students died after getting trapped in a flooded basement of a coaching centre.
Sl🐠ogans of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "End dictatorship" were raised during the pღrotest rally called by the AAP.
CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattach𝐆arya said three senior AAP leaders -- Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were put in jail as "part of a conspiracy".
He also accused the Centre of obstructing the w🐼ork of the Delhi government, and held th꧑em responsible for the situation in the national capital, including the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre deaths.
"They tried to end AAP, weaken Delhi government as part of a conspiracy. The elected chief minister is in jail. Umar Khalid and many activists are in jail in false 𝐆charges in Delhi riots. Bhima Koregaon fake case, father Stan Swamy was in jail and he even died while in custody. There is a huge conspiracy against leaders, activists,” he said.
The BJP-led Centre is “trying ♏to suppress the voice of those whജo oppose them", he said.
"Six months ago when Arvind ji, Hemant ji were arrested, we knew it was a conspiracy because Lok Sabha elections were there,” he said.
"Hemant ji came out, there was an appeal to stop his bail but it was dismissed. Kejriwal ji was released for less t💮han a month. Now though he𓆉 has been given a bail there is a conspiracy to keep him in jail,” he said.
“It is a conspiracy to finish a democratically elected government and a political party,” Bhattachar💫ya said, urging the people to🎃 give their reply to the BJP in upcoming assembly polls in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand by defeating the BJP.
“The recent mandate has proved that people won't tolerate tyranny. We will ensure j💦ustice,"he added.
Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja also demanded the immediate release of the Delhi chief m♛inister, and expressed concerns about his health.
“After BJP's coming to power, democracy is no longer 'for' the people, democracy is 'far' from people, democracy is not 'of' the people, it is 'off' the people, and it is not 'by' the 🥀people, it is 'buy' the people,” Raja said.
"Kejriwal is one of the victims of the central agencies used by the Modi government. Can we allo🥃w this? How much longer can we tolerate this situation in th❀e country. Kejriwal is not well and his health has deteriorated,” he said.
AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said Kejri꧙wal's sugar levels are going down in custody.
"He was granted bail by trial court and Supreme Court but a conspiracy was hatched to keep him in jai꧙l. Why does BJP wa꧟nt to put opposition leaders in jail? Who is responsible for the deaths of the three UPSC aspirants?” Rai said.
"When LG i🌞s being asked about the incident, he is quiet. The BJP, which is de♌manding Kejriwal's resignation, snatched away the powers of the Delhi government. They want rights but run away when they are held accountable," he charged.
has been accusing the BJP of “conspiring to kill” Kejriw🌜al in jail and cited his medical report to show that his sugar leve𝔉ls have fallen 34 times between June 3 and July 7.
Nationalist Congress Pℱarty – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Deputy Leader of Congresᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚs in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi are also present in the INDIA bloc rally.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari referred t🌄o Kejriwal's wife Sunita as a "symbol of resistance" as he began his 🔯address.
"We have come to give complete moral support to AAP and Kejriwal on behalf ⛦of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the struggle against illegal arrest♐ of Arvind Kejriwal. The arrest of Kejriwal in an illegal and unconstitutional manner indicate nothing but the bad intentions of the BJP," he alleged.
🔜Tiwari said it was "height" of inhumanity to keep Kejriwal in jail despite his medical reports showing dip in his blood sugar to a dangerous level.
The Congress and AAP ha𓆉d 🅠fought the recent Lok Sabha elections in Delhi in alliance. AAP had fielded candidates on four seats and Congress on three seats. However, the alliance drew a blank.
Gogoi warned the BJP and its leaders saying they cannot scare the opposition whether it is AAP, C♓ongress or any other party.
"Their illusion lies shattered with this rally. If fair Lok Sabha elections had been held in 2024, the BJP would have beღen in opposition and we would have been in power. The BJP-led government is not going to complete its five-year term," ♐he stressed.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 🌸a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam and 𝔉has been granted bail by the Supreme Court. However, he is currently lodged in Tihar in a connected CBI case.