Mamata unites anti-BJP Opposition in historic Kolkata rally, sounds oust-Modi bugle

Responding to Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata's Brigade call on a winter afternoon, leaders from north to south India shared the same dais and spoke one after another tearing into the Narendra Modi regime.

Chief architect of the Opposition Unity, Mamata Banerjee, while dubbing the Modi tenure as worse than Emergency of Indira Gandhi whose expiry date has come, chose to even reach out to a section of BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari by holding that even BJP's own senior leaders like the latter were short-changed by Modi. 

"I have seen many leaders in India, but never someone like Hitler or Mussolini (reference to Modi)," said Mamata choosing the harshest words to describe Modi at the mega rally of more than 20 opposition parties.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) leader, Farooq Abdullah, slammed the Modi government for playing divisive politics in the country and also in the valley.

"People are getting divided on the basis of religion. The BJP government is responsible for the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. All Kashmiris want to live in India," Abdullah said.

With little more than two months to go for the next General Elections, Abdullah raised questions on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) by terming them as "chor (cheat) machine".

Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy, who came along with his father and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, spoke in favour of the regional parties which according to him "can connect to people and fulfill their aspirations".

                                       Anti-BJP grand alliance is anti-people: Modi

Hitting out the BJP, which has been alleged to resort to horse-trading to topple the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka, Kumaraswamy, whose party had won 30 odd seats in state elections last year, said: "The BJP encourages in horse-trading, They are offering huge sum of money to MLAs to defect. BJP is making the mockery of democracy."

"The BJP will have to pay a huge price if it misbehaves with Karnataka," Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said in a solidarity with his Karnataka counterpart.

Naidu, who left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last year over demands of a special status for Andhra, also blamed the Centre for destroying the federal structure of the country. "BJP government is interfering in the federal set up," said the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) chief.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had supported the TMC-organised rally on Friday but a message from top leader Sonia Gandhi through her MP Mallikarjun Kharge has once again raised speculations about a bonhomie between the two parties, which had fought the 2009 Lok Sabha polls together.

In her message, Sonia said: "The upcoming 2019 General Elections will be a contest to restore the nation's faith in democracy."

Kharge's colleague from the same party, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who got elected as the Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal with TMC's support last year, lauded Mamata for her "spirit" and said the time has come for a 'rainbow coalition'.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, who kept the Congress out of the coalition with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh , was seen exchanging greetings with Kharge, who came late to the rally, on the dais.

Taunting the saffron party, Akhilesh, who came under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner over an illegal sand-mining case on the same day the alliance was announced, said: "We are forming alliance with people while the BJP is doing it with CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED)."

Keeping a suspense on who could succeed Modi if the BJP fails to return to power, Akhilesh at least ensured that the saffron party will be routed from the northern state prompting Mamata to pledge that the saffron outfit will fail to open its account in West Bengal.

Akhilesh, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, also attacked the BJP, which ended the SP tenure in the state in 2017 with a sweeping majority, saying, "They (BJP) say development for all but spread venom in society."

Satish Mishra, who has been sent as an emissary by BSP supremo Mayawati, also said the BJP will have to be routed as early as possible.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo, Arvind Kejriwal, who also called for a similar united Opposition rally in the national capital, compared Modi with German leader and dictator, Hitler, for killing democracy.

"What Pakistan could not do in 70 years, Modi did in five," Kejriwal said slamming the BJP's 'divisive politics'.

Though the ruling BJP often raises question mark on united Opposition's leadership, Kejriwal tried to outplay such statements saying, "The 2019 polls are not for making the Prime Minister but to oust the Modi-Shah duo."

Akhilesh, too, played safe with the leadership of Opposition saying, "We have multiple names for the Prime Minister. BJP has only one (Modi) who has depressed people."

DMK's Stalin, whom Mamata believes will emerge as the winner in Tamil Nadu in the forthcoming polls, attacked the BJP vehemently over the corruption issue.

Training his guns over the pot-boiling Rafale issue, Stalin said: "The Prime Minister has turned the government into a private limited company and Modi is the Managing Director of it. The BJP government is solely for big businessmen and cooperate houses."

"Corruption is the reason for which demonetisation was done," he added.

Mamata, who on Thursday said would listen more to other leaders at the rally, kept herself reserve till the last to slam the Modi government in her usual nature.

In a Hindi-Bengali-English mixed address in her trademark style, Mamata, said the country is going through an emergency period, which is worse than the one called by former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi.

"Many people say Indira Gandhi was dictatorial and refer to the emergency," she said. "I find the situation today worse."

Extending to what Kejriwal said, Mamata compared Modi with another dictator, Italy's Benito Mussolini.

The TMC supremo, who till date remained silent on who could lead the opposition unlike her supporters and leaders, said the voter shouldn't be worried about who would be Prime Minister.

"We will decide together after the elections," she said, adding that the Modi government in Delhi has crossed its expiry date.

Saying that all the leaders present would be present at similar meetings in Andhra Pradesh capital Amravati and Delhi, which the respective chief ministers have already announced to organise, Mamata said: "If Farooq Abdullahji can organise one in Jammu and Kashmir, we will go. We will also go to Assam if something is organised there."

She slammed the Modi government for destroying the reputation of institutions such as the CBI and the RBI.

Commenting on the BJP's demand for a rath yatra in West Bengal, Mamata said: "We will not let riots happen in the state in the name of rath yatra." 

Almost accusing the BJP government of using investigative agencies, Mamata said: "You didn't leave anyone including me. Why would we leave you?"

Though the Left parties skipped the rally, Gujarat politician Jignesh Mevani and Patidar leader Hardik Patel attended the same.

The several attacks has also drawn comment from the Prime Minister who termed the "mahagathbandhan (grand alliance)" as opposed to people.

In a post-rally press conference in the city, Naidu replied to Modi's remark saying, "He (Modi) wants us to be his servant."

(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)