Unite, save democracy Oppn to public

 

 

 

THE Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Friday against the suspension of 146 MPs from the two Houses of Parliament during the Winter session and gave a call to people to unite in saving democracy in the country. The protest organised under the banner of I.N.D.I.A. was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and the leaders of Left parties, DMK, NCP, SP, NC, TMC, JMM, RJD and other members of Opposition coalition. Addressing the gathering, Kharge said, the leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. parties have come together as democracy is under threat under the BJP-led Government. “When everyone unites, (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi will not be able to do anything.

 

The more you try to crush us, the more we will rise. We are fighting unitedly to save the country and democracy,” he said. Noting that the freedom of speech is enshrined in the Constitution and this freedom was given to people by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar, he said, “We are not afraid of the Modi Government. No matter how hard you try to bury us in the ground, we are those seeds who have the habit of growing again and again.” Gandhi said, the Opposition members were suspended from Parliament for demanding answers from Shah on the December 13 Parliament security breach issue.

 

“The more hatred the BJP spreads, the more love and brotherhood the I.N.D.I.A. parties will spread,” he said. By shunting out 150 MPs from Parliament, the Government has shut out the voice of 60 per cent Indians, he added. NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the leaders of the bloc are ready to pay whatever price required to be paid to save democracy in the country. “Today, farmers are going on the path of suicide, the youngsters working in factories are not even getting proper wages. Therefore, we will have to take responsibility and work hard to remove the forces attacking democracy,” he said. D Raja of the CPI said Ambedkar, the prime architect of the Constitution, had made it clear that Parliament is supreme as it represents the sovereign will of the people. “If Parliament becomes redundant, democracy will be killed. Can we allow such a fascist dictatorship to take over the country?

 

The INDIA bloc must put up a collective fight against the BJP-RSS,” he said. Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M) said, democracy is being killed across the country. “If we want to save democracy and the Constitution, we will have to remove the Modi Government from power,” he said. DMK’s Tiruchi Siva accused the BJP of attempting to destabilise the country’s federal and secular structures. “The INDIA bloc will oust the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” he said. S T Hasan of the Samajwadi Party (SP) said this is not the suspension of the MPs, but the suspension of the country’s democracy. Hasnain Masoodi of the NC demanded a statement in the House as to how the security lapse occurred in Parliament. Mausam Noor of the TMC said the MPs who raised questions on the security lapse in Parliament were suspended. Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD said the person currently in power needs an Opposition-free Parliament, resistance-free streets, players-free sports and a question-free media.