Thousands gather at Ramlila ground to cheer INDIA leaders
Thousands of people attended the mega rally of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday.
Braving the heat, people from different backgrounds reached the venue on foot and on buses, trucks, and autorickshaws in support of the Opposition bloc’s rally against the BJPled Union government’s alleged attack on democracy, and the “misuse” of Central probe agencies against Opposition leaders.
Speeches of top leaders elicited a range of emotions from the crowd. The loudest reactions came when the Opposition leaders targeted the BJP, such as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s comment on “whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi can even make chai (tea) or has been lying to us about this as well”.
Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav drew similar reactions when he said: “Mr. Modi has time to meet Priyanka Chopra but not the farmers protesting for their rights.” Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Kalpana Soren, and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi also evoked emotions from the people present at the venue.
The rally started with protest songs and stretched on as leaders on the dais called for the defeat of the BJP.
A sea of yellow, the AAP’s adopted colour, was interspersed equally with Congress’s flags. A Congress supporter atop a loudspeaker, dressed in a kurta bearing Rahul’s face, hoisted the party flag. An AAP supporter had painted himself in the Tricolour sporting the slogan ‘Main Bhi Kejriwal’ across his chest.