INDIA bloc to hold rally in Delhi to ‘safeguard democracy’ on March 31
INDIA bloc will hold 'maha rally' at Ramlila Maidan on March 31 to protect democracy amid ED's arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, accused of acting at BJP's behest.
The Opposition’s INDIA grouping will organise a protest at Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi on March 31 to “safeguard democracy” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, state minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gopal Rai said, adding that the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) arrest of Arvind Kejriwal was part of an attempt to “wipe out” dissident voices.

Key Opposition leaders will participate in the rally, Rai said during a press conference at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, where he was accompanied by party colleagues and Delhi legislators Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, as well as state Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, former Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra, as well as Left leaders.
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“Democracy and the country are in danger. All INDIA bloc parties will take part in this ‘maha rally’ to safeguard the country’s interests and democracy,” said Rai, three days after the federal agency arrested Kejriwal for his role in Delhi’s controversy-ridden 2021-22 excise policy. Kejriwal and the party have maintained their innocence and accused ED of acting at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s behest.
The BJP, however, said opposition parties were trying to divert attention from the corruption allegations levelled against the AAP.
A local court on Friday sent Kejriwal to six days’ ED remand, even as the AAP maintained that he would “run the government” from the confines of prison, arguing that statutes did not require an arrested chief minister to step down from the position unless convicted.
Indeed, there is no prohibition either in the Constitution or under any statute that mandates a sitting CM to resign after arrest in a criminal case. It is only after their conviction and an imposition of a jail term that they must resign. However, the convention is that arrested leaders quit top posts.
“The way Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested, there is anger in the hearts of people across the nation who love and respect the Constitution… The Prime Minister is misusing central agencies,” Rai alleged.
Rai cited the arrest of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and alleged that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav are also being targeted, even as he said that Kejriwal’s arrest had galvanised the grouping.
“All INDIA bloc leaders are being framed in false cases,” he said.
The Congress, which initially led the charge against the 2021-22 excise policy, has lent its weight behind the AAP and Kejriwal since his arrest. The two parties, formerly bitter rivals, in February sealed a seat-sharing pact for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The AAP will contest four seats while the Congress will contest three.
Lovely alleged that Opposition parties are not being given a level-playing field. “The March 31 ‘maha rally’ will not only be a political one but a call to save the country’s democracy and raise voices against the BJP-led Centre,” Lovely said.
He also underscored that the Opposition bloc — which has often failed to find common ground given the parties’ colliding interests in various states — was united in its defence of Kejriwal.
“We are with all INDIA block partners on this issue. Freedom and democracy have been achieved through the sacrifices of our freedom fighters. The atmosphere prevailing today is against democracy,” Lovely added.
Delhi minister Atishi said, “The rally is not being organised to save Arvind Kejriwal but to save the democracy. The opposition is facing one-sided attacks.”
Rai added: “Either MLAs are being bought or they’re being threatened to join BJP. Fake cases are registered against people who are not ready to be sold or those who don’t bow down.”
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva asked why the courts denied Kejriwal relief if he was innocent.
“If Kejriwal is innocent, why didn’t he get relief from any court earlier and why is he not getting bail after arrest?” he asked.
“Most parties in the alliance, including the Congress, have been troubled by the investigations into scams before 2014 or during their state governments’ tenures,” he added.
To be sure, Kejriwal’s bail plea has not yet been heard. The Delhi high court is scheduled to hear the matter on Wednesday, having denied the chief minister an urgent hearing on Friday.
Meanwhile on Sunday, AAP workers fanned out across the streets of Delhi to protest Kejriwal’s arrest.
“There is a Kejriwal in every family of Delhi. The BJP has made a huge mistake by arresting Arvind Kejriwal. There are lakhs of Kejriwals in Delhi and they will come out on roads,” said AAP leader Sandeep Pathak.
