United India Rally: Opposition Unity on Display as Mamata Banerjee Vows to Oust Modi Government in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections

Kolkata, January 19: In a massive show of Opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, several leaders of national and regional parties, including chief ministers and former chief ministers, attended TMC's United India Rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade ground on Saturday. Speaking at the event, West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee called for the ouster of the Modi government in the next general elections.

"Modi government has passed its expiry date. In the coming days, a new dawn will descend. A new government will be formed at the Centre. It is inevitable," Banerjee said. Accusing the BJP of destroying government institutions and inciting religious enmity, Banerjee said BJP's achhe din is over. "Whatever BJP can promise to people, their achhe din will not return. If you want the country to remain united, remove BJP. We will ensure a stable government," she said. PM Narendra Modi Ups Ante Against Grand Alliance Amid Opposition Show of Strength in Kolkata.

Although UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi didn't attend the rally, she sent a message through Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. Sonia Gandhi described the opposition rally here as an "important attempt" to galvanise leaders across the political spectrum to fight the "arrogant and divisive" Narendra Modi government. Gandhi said the upcoming Lok Sabha election would not be an "ordinary one".

"This will be an election to restore the nation's faith in democracy, defend our secular ethos and heritage; and defeat the forces that are trying to sabotage the Constitution of India," she said. Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal called upon people to defeat the “dangerous” BJP government at the Centre at any cost, accusing the ruling party of creating enmity among people in the name of religion.

“If the (Narendra) Modi-(Amit) Shah combine continues to rule the country by winning the 2019 elections, it will change the Constitution and further elections will never take place. A fascist regime will set in as was done by Hitler in Germany,” Kejriwal said. He said Pakistan's dream of splitting India into pieces is being fulfilled by the Modi government. The AAP chief also slammed the government over unemployment and farmer distress.

DMK president MK Stalin said the "only goal" of all the secular parties is to throw out the Modi government in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which will be the "country's second freedom struggle" and only option to save the nation by defeating BJP with a united opposition front. "The 2019 elections in India will be India's second freedom struggle. The BJP at the centre is sowing the seeds of hatred and divisionism among people. We have to stop that any cost. That's why I call it India's second freedom struggle," Stalin said.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu criticised a number of Modi government's policies, including demonetisation, GST, agricultural policies and fuel price hike, claiming current regime has only given a "high performance in corruption". Naidu termed PM Modi as the "publicity Prime Minister" and said the nation needs a new Prime Minister who can perform.

"The country wants a performing Prime Minister, someone who would work for the betterment of the poor," he said, urging people to carefully choose who they like to go with in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Terming the BJP as "undemocratic and against the Constitution", Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said the Modi government has turned deaf and blind to the plight of the common man.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah termed the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) a "chor" machine which needs to be replaced with ballot papers. He said the entire country's mood is to have a new Prime Minister in 2019. "In 2019 India is going to see a new Prime Minister. That is the mood of the nation. We are considering the nation first. To protect the nation and save democracy everyone in this country must be united," he added.

Representing Mayawati, senior Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Satish Chandra Mishra said the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh has started the process of uprooting the "anti-Dalit" and "anti-Minority" NDA government at the Centre. He said the BJP which came to power by showing "false dreams" to the people, after coming to power it initiated "anti-people" policies like demonetization and GST which caused a lot of "hardship" to common people, particularly Dalits and minorities.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the coming together of the SP and the BSP has led to a wave of happiness in the country and left a worried BJP to hold meeting after meeting to devise a strategy to win even one seat in Uttar Pradesh. “They ask, who is PM candidate of opposition parties… We say people will decide the PM candidate from our side. But from their side, this name (Narendra Modi) has disappointed the country, who is your other name?” Yadav said.

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, who has been critical of PM Narendra Modi, demanded a clarification from the prime minister over Rafale deal. "There are a lot of promises but no delivery. We will ask questions but they will try to divert public attention. People will say 'chowkidaar chor hai' till the time you don’t answer these questions,” Sinha said. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav said PM Modi is the "factory, manufacturer, whole-seller, and distributor" of lies.

Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang, who left the BJP after a four-year association earlier this week, said the Modi regime has been a "testing time" for India's democracy and accused it of dividing the country. Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, who severed his ties with Bharatiya Janata Party in 2018, said at his age he wanted nothing in life but the ouster of the Modi government for which the entire opposition should unite.

Sinha suggested all the opposition parties should field one common candidate against the BJP across the country so that the NDA government could be "thrown out lock, stock and barrel". Another former Union Minister Arun Shourie attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his demonetisation decision that set the economy backwards and inflicted misery on common man and for messing up with a simple idea like the Goods and Services Tax, making it cumbersome.

Gujarat Patidar leader Hardik Patel and legislator Jignesh Mevani also addressed the rally. More than twenty national leaders had gathered in Kolkata for the mega opposition United India rally.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 19, 2019 04:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).