The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) kicked off their campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at the historic Shivaji Park in central Mumbai. During the event, Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader and member of parliament from Wayanad, expressed his views on prime minister Narendra Modi, stating that he represents a ‘system’ created by the BJP that enables 20-25 corporate companies to control the country as they please.
The Congress leader addressed a crowd of around 70,000-80,000 individuals at the rally in Shivaji Park, concluding the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ that spanned 14 states. Surrounded by key figures from the INDIA bloc, such as Prakash Ambedkar, head of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) whose role in the coalition was uncertain, he criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues like corruption, electoral bonds, crony capitalism, and electronic voting machines (EVM).
“It is a misconception that our battle is against a political party or Narendra Modi himself. In reality, we are up against the 20-25 corporations that seek to govern the nation, using Modi as a mere facade. This facade embodies what we refer to as ‘shakti’ (power) in Hinduism. Our fight is against this ‘shakti’,” he emphasized, highlighting that the Opposition’s struggle is against the ‘system’ established by the Modi administration.
Gandhi labeled the Adani group as a primary beneficiary of this ‘system’ and claimed that the Mumbai airport was handed over to the group only after the Modi government initiated an investigation against GVK, the airport’s previous manager, through the CBI.
The Wayanad MP accused the election commission of operating under the influence of the same ‘system’ when rejecting the opposition’s request to match votes cast through electronic voting machines (EVM) with the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT).
“Narendra Modi cannot secure election victories without EVMs. We urged the election commission to tally the VVPAT, but they declined because the system does not want it to happen,” he stated.
Reiterating allegations of corruption involving electoral bonds, he further asserted, “Electoral bonds are essentially a nationwide extortion scheme that operates in four ways – by receiving a percentage from companies in exchange for contracts, by issuing threats through the ED, the CBI, and other central agencies, by obtaining cuts through shell companies, and by accepting money after awarding contracts.”
The leader of the Congress party expressed his fearlessness and encouraged the public to stand up against the Modi government. He emphasized that the citizens are the embodiment of the nation and declared his willingness to fulfill their desires and go wherever they need him to be. He made these remarks while accompanied by prominent political figures such as the DMK chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin, JMM leader and Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj, CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattarchaya, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and other high-ranking members of the party.
Prior to Gandhi’s address at the rally, Tejaswi Yadav, the RJD leader and former deputy chief minister of Bihar, criticized Narendra Modi as a propagator of falsehoods and a purveyor of a fake agenda. Yadav asserted that they are not individuals who succumb to fear, but rather individuals who fight for the welfare of the people. He accused PM Modi of being the originator, wholesaler, and retailer of deceptive propaganda and lies.
Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), alleged that Modi’s sole family consists of himself and the position of prime minister. Thackeray questioned Modi’s accusations against other political parties being family-run, highlighting that Modi’s own family is limited to himself and the prime ministerial chair. He further claimed that the BJP aims to secure over 400 seats in order to establish a dictatorship in the country. Thackeray concluded by stating that unity among the people will put an end to dictatorship, emphasizing the slogan “Ab ki baar BJP tadipar.”
Sharad Pawar, the leader of the NCP, invoked the Quit India movement that originated in Mumbai as he called for the removal of the BJP from power.