Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi hit the streets and courted arrest on Friday to protest the Modi government’s attempts to “kill democracy”.

As the BJP tried to link Sonia and Rahul to the AgustaWestland controversy, a combative Congress president dared the Modi government to use all its strength against the opposition.

“I want to warn the government. They should not think that the Congress is weak. The Congress will never bow down before injustice,” Sonia said, addressing the “Save Democracy” rally at Jantar Mantar here.

While Rahul focussed his brief speech on the unrest at universities and increase in unemployment, Manmohan Singh attacked the Centre for toppling elected governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand.

“You must tell the people how Modi is trying to uproot democracy from the country and not let him succeed in his desires,” Singh said in an unusually blunt speech.

There was high drama after the rally as Sonia, Rahul and Manmohan Singh led the “Save Democracy” march towards Parliament. A heavy posse of police personnel stopped the trio and other leaders, while some, including former minister Renuka Chowdhury, were seen attempting to climb a barricade erected by the police.

As police denied permission to the Congress leaders to move towards Parliament, Sonia, Rahul, Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma among others courted arrest at the Parliament Street police station. They were released soon after.

At the rally, speakers expressed their outrage against the Modi government over the alleged suppression of free speech at universities, bypassing the parliamentary procedures and levelling false allegations against opposition leaders.