Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the ‘Loktantra Bachao’ maharally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on March 31, 2024.

Today, I heartily welcome all of you friends who have come to the ‘LoktantraBachao’ Rally being held at this historic Ramlila Maidan and this platform is ‘Unity in Diversity’. I thank all our colleagues for the meeting that has been called here today to show that there is unity in our diversity, and especially this meeting has only one purpose - that the opposition should come together. That is why, so many of our leaders are present here in this meeting - Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji, Shri Rahul Gandhi ji, Shri Sharad Pawar ji, Bhagwant Mann ji, Champai Soren ji, Akhilesh Yadav ji, Tejashwi Yadav ji, Sitaram Yechury ji, Farooq Abdullah ji, D. Raja ji. , Dipankar Bhattacharya ji, Mehbooba Mufti ji, Derek O’Brien ji, Kalpana Soren ji, Tiruchi Shivaji, Sunita Kejriwal ji, Devraja ji, ThiruThol ji and Khurram Anees Omar ji - so many party leaders are sitting on this stage and why are they sitting? It means that all the people have gathered to save this country, to maintain unity in this country, to save the democracy of this country and to save the Constitution of this country.

Modi ji does not want democracy, he always has the ideology of dictatorship. I met him yesterday at Rashtrapati Bhavan where Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda were also there and other leaders were also there. So Nadda ji asked me since when is your election campaign going on and when is your list being finalised. So, I said that our list is being finalized, but the election that we want is not being conducted as fair and the money that was in my account and my Party’s account has already been stolen. The penalty imposed on me is Rs. 3,567 crores. We did not give the account of Rs. 14 lakhs, that is why they have imposed a fine of Rs. 135 crores. By increasing interest-on-interest like this, today it has come to Rs. 3,567 crores, so that as Rahul ji said, we cannot campaign, cannot go anywhere, cannot meet anyone, our workers cannot go to any corner of the country. This is the method Modi ji has adopted and is spoiling democracy and our institutions one-by-one and misusing them. Be it ED, be it CBI, be it Income Tax, by misusing these institutions they are intimidating each and every leader, even threatening people belonging to other parties and saying that if you join Congress, if you go into alliance with it, you will go to jail.

I say this with certainty which leaders he intimidated. By resorting to intimidation, he bought many MPs, bought MLAs and formed new governments. This is Modi Ji’s policy and until and unless you remove Modi’s ideology and Modi Ji himself, there will never be happiness and prosperity in this country. That is why we have to fight, to protect democracy and to save the Constitution. If there is the Constitution, you will get reservation, if there is the Constitution, you will get your fundamental rights, and if there is no Constitution, you will not get anything.

I have a request to all my sisters that you should remember that if the BJP government had made the Constitution in this country, the first thing it would have done would be – it would not have given voting power to women, because their views are such, but India is such a country where Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru ji and Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar together gave the ‘Right to Vote’ to every person by bringing adult franchise. Whether it is a woman, whether it is a man, whether it is a servant, whether it is an owner, or it is the richest person in a factory, everyone got rights. Did they have this right before that? Modi ji talks so big, comments on us so much which is beyond any explanation.

We fought to liberate the country, shed our blood to maintain unity in the country, Smt. Indira Gandhi laid her life, Rajiv Gandhi ji laid his life, his body was cut into pieces and in the same way Smt. Indira Gandhi ji took 32 bullets on her chest to maintain unity in the country. Tell me if there is any such other leader? These same BJP people, these same RSS people, were called ‘Jan Sangh’, what did they do then? Back then, they used to ask people to join the British government jobs, they used to ask people not to participate in the Quit India movement, Gandhiji’s idea is not good. They themselves lived in the employ of the British, did business and never fought for the country. That’s why I say many times that not even a single person in their party showed courage to speak, but our people were hanged, our people fought, that is why the Congress Party’s focus is on saving the Constitution and that is why we want development of all while Modi ji wants development of a few handful of his rich friends.

You have to decide whether you want democracy or dictatorship. Do you want democracy or not - (The crowd present said - Yes) Those who want democracy, raise both your hands - (The crowd present raised both hands - Yes) And those who support dictatorship, need to be expelled from this country. They will have to be thrown away. BJP is like a sweet poison. RSS is also like poison. If you want to lick this poison to test it, then you will die and if you drink it, even then you will die. So, do not go after testing it. We have seen it twice that Modi is spoiling the country, youth have no jobs, inflation is increasing, that is why I want to put one thing before you.

‘This is not the time, it is like a trial, either testify in this or become mute forever.’ This is what Modi ji is saying, either come to us, testify, else become mute forever. That is why, today Kejriwal ji and Hemant Soren ji were sent to jail. Had he committed any such crime to be jailed? Modi ji could have taken such a decision even later, he would have been called and interrogated and then punished. At the time of elections, notification is being issued, you file a case against them and put them in jail. Hemant Ji’s fault was that he wanted to go with the alliance. He was called, he was asked about the alliance, then Hemant ji said, “I will stay with the Congress, I will stay with the alliance. No matter how much pressure you put on me, I am not going to bow down.”

So that’s why, Modi ji filed a case and put him in jail. Is this equal opportunity for elections? As Rahul ji mentioned about cricket, if the cricket ground is made properly and the pitch is also good, then people are able to play there. Here Modi ji is digging pits everywhere and asking us to play matches.

We should defeat such a person this time. We should not sit peacefully until we defeat them and this is necessary because this election is not for any one person or only for Kejriwal ji or Hemant ji, but it is necessary to protect 140 crore people. And we are fighting for all this. We are fighting to protect the poor, farmers, labourers and small traders. That is why we want you all to come together to save democracy.

This 2024 election will be on the issue of rising inflation, employment of youth, MSP guarantee to farmers and people’s share. The initiative that Rahul ji has taken is that there should be a caste census and everyone should get justice according to the population. The one whose population is more should get justice, that is why the voice he raised is also a fight for them. This fight is against the corruption of BJP and to save elections, the country’s Constitution and Democracy. That is why I request you all to unite and move together.

That is why I also expect from the Chief Minister of Punjab that only when we fight united, we will achieve something, otherwise you will keep crushing one another, you will never come forward. I beg you, first learn to be united, don’t think of breaking one another. This should be our principle, only then we can do some work together and I am happy that today we all are working together. No matter what differences we may have. We, Yechury Saheb and D. Raja fight in Kerala, but here for this big cause, we come together on one platform, in the same way we fight with the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, but for the unity of the country, we are here on one platform for integrity. So, the Indian alliance was formed to protect the country, to protect the people and for your protection, not for any individual.

If the Constitution survives, every person will survive and the one who does good work will definitely survive. So that’s why brothers, without saying much, I will just say that we will fight and tell BJP that enough is enough, stop now! There is an undercurrent against Modi ji and BJP, don’t think that what he talks about crossing 400 is not going to happen. Modi ji and BJP have the habit of scaring and threatening people. We have courage, we have fought many battles. Congress has fought many battles. Once the people of BJP had won only two seats. You must know, Delhiites know better.

These people, who once won only two seats, repeatedly abuse others. That is why I will end my talk by telling you one last thing that we will together overcome the difficulties that are there for the India alliance and what about Modi ji? The court is with him, the police is also with him, everything is with him. A poet has written –“Appeal bhi tum, Daleelbhi tum, gavahbhi tum, vakeel bhi tum, jiseychahey haram kah do, jiseybhichahohalaalkardo.” Everything is his - his lawyers, his court, his police, everything is his. So, in such a situation it is up to you to maintain democracy. You should be enthusiastic and we will continue to fight with enthusiasm. Jai Hind!

Jai Hind (the crowd said – Jai Hind). Jai Hind (the crowd repeated – Jai Hind). Jai Hind (the crowd repeated– Jai Hind!). Thank you everyone! Namastey!