I.N.D.I.A. leaders address a press conference following the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
Credit: X/@AamAadmiParty
New Delhi: I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners view the March 31 rally at the iconic Ramlila Maidan against the backdrop of Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest as a 'make or break’ event ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, as it could set the tone for their campaign.
This would be the first joint political rally by the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc where even warring partners will share the stage, after several aborted attempts to hold such events since October last year. It would also sound the bugle for the joint AAP-Congress campaign in Delhi.
So far, the Opposition alliance could not hold a single joint rally despite repeated assertions in their joint statements. While a rally in Bhopal was announced, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath unilaterally cancelled it ahead of Madhya Pradesh elections.
The discord over seat-sharing in states like West Bengal poured cold water over plans to hold joint programmes. Several partners gave a miss to at least two rallies earlier this month – in Patna hosted by RJD and Mumbai hosted by the Congress on the culmination of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra – that had the potential to become a joint programme.
However, Kejriwal’s arrest has rallied the allies together as one saw when the partners rushed to the Election Commission together and they see a potential in the development to corner the Narendra Modi government owing to the Delhi Chief Minister’s popularity across the country.
Unlike former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s arrest on January 31, the allies feel that Kejriwal’s arrest has created a favourable talking point among the public, who questions the action that came just after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections.
The biggest worry for the organisers – majorly AAP and assisted by Congress – and their partners is to ensure that their supporters reach the protest venue as they fear that the Narendra Modi government may use police to create hurdles to prevent easy access to the event.
“This rally is very important for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. The turnout will determine the success. But we are sure that the Modi government will make it difficult for people to reach the venue,” a top I.N.D.I.A. leader said. Both the AAP and Congress have held separate preparatory meetings for the event.
The rally will also work as an opportunity for Delhi leaders of AAP and Congress to see for first hand how their cadres adjust to the alliance. It would help the leadership understand the gaps in coordination ahead of the elections.
For the Congress workers, the relationship with AAP is not a happy one as the latter is the reason for its political oblivion in the capital.
At the same time, Kejriwal’s arrest has created a realisation that there is a need for unity. Former MP Sandeep Dikshit, whose mother and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit bore the brunt of political attacks by AAP, was among the first to reach Kejriwal’s residence after his arrest.
Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely, who along with AAP’s Gopal Rai had made the announcement of Ramlila Maidan rally, has held meetings with district and block presidents and observers while AAP leaders have held meetings in all Assemblies.
Efforts are on to bring in students, youths and RWA leaders to the rally.