NEW DELHI: If the stage at Ramlila Maidan sent out a strong message of a united opposition that will not relent till it sees Gyanesh Kumar’s removed as Chief Election Commissioner, the atmosphere at the packed grounds reflected the same sense of coming together as flags of all hues representing the diverse ideologies of INDIA parties were held up by workers and supporters.From slogans like “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod” to the euphoric response of the crowd to repeated chanting of “Inquilab Zindabad” – the Ramlila Maidan on Sunday became the space for INDIA bloc members to make their presence felt. The RJD and Samajwadi Party flags shared space with a sea of flags representing the Left parties – a reflection of how diverse ideologies and ideas converged on ground for a common cause.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi got the loudest applause from the crowd that had been growing strong since 9 in the morning and remained eager to stay even as the main speeches only took off at 3 pm as the top leaders of the INDIA parties arrived on stage after the Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao March from CP Minto Road Junction to the rally venue.With 2027 set to see crucial assembly polls in UP, Punjab and Uttarakhand, one saw Samajwadi Party supporters assert their presence as they rooted for party supremo Akhilesh Yadav cheering loudly and waving the Party flag. Yadav delivered a fiery speech shooting sharply at Modi saying, “Jo UP sey aayey they woh UP sey hi jayengey”. He also raised the issue of “chanda chori” from Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya.Reflecting on the INDIA campaign so far, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya was the first speaker who set the set the tone by highlighting how the parties in the Alliance have unitedly taken up and build the outreach on the issue of SIR and working of Election Commission under CEC Gyanesh Kumar.“We took the decision to hit the streets on Sept 30 at the INDIA bloc meeting and since then the slogan of “vote chor gaddi chhod” and “vote bachao, desh bachao” has resonated across the country. Since they started SIR in Bihar people have suffered and faced its impact and to counter it and the autocratic working of the Central govt, the people have responded with this “jan sailaab” he highlighted. Bhattacharya and CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby referred to the ongoing protests as nothing short of a second freedom struggle.RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav chose to draw from the epic Mahabharat to make his point. “Vote chori key liyey Mahabharat ka ayojan kiya Hai Ramlila Maidan mein..,” he said in Hindi. He cited the example of Shakuni and his dice to highlight that there was a lack of a level-playing field there and alleged that the same situation existed in the Modi regime with Gyanesh Kumar as CEC. He demanded that Gyanesh Kumar should be tried for treason. Rahul Gandhi had raised this at the public impeachment on Saturday and reiterated the same on Sunday.Interestingly, TMC chairperson and former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee while delivering a fiery attack on CEC Gyanesh Kumar, was the only speaker who after highlighting the unity in the INDIA bloc, lauded and backed the efforts of the Cockroach Janta Party and Gen Z in taking up issues ranging from concerns in the examination system to SIR and EC related protests.It was interesting to see a large presence of youth with student outfits. The Left linked student wings like AISA, SFI, AISF and Krantkari Yuva Sangathan joined with full fervour alongside the NSUI. One one side there were the Left students groups who chose to break into an impromtu performance amid the crowd as all waited for the INDIA leaders to arrive. Then one saw a large group of ethnically dressed women and men from Jharkhand play their traditional instruments.
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An RJD supporter was busy singing patriotic songs, and then there was a stir as one man arrived drenched in sculpted clay depicting Mahatma Gandhi holding the Constitution. There were others too holding cutouts and impressions from the Constitution.Posters calling for Gyanesh Kumar’s ouster in Gen Z lingo – “It’s done Bro!” and a young man holding up a cutout of BR Ambedkar which read “Ab toh Ungli Uthegi” to a group of men who came wearing a garland of plastic fingers with red stains to symbolise the loss of the voting rights – the rally saw people convey the political message on the importance of voting rights with creative zeal.
