With husbands behind bars, Sunita Kejriwal and Kalpana Soren lead attack against BJP in I.N.D.I.A. bloc rally

Two chairs were kept empty for Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren at the rally in Ramlila Maidan.

New Delhi: Making a strong call for defeating the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana addressed a mega gathering of the opposition I.N.D.I.A on Sunday, indicating that they are likely to have bigger political roles following the arrest of their spouses.

Two chairs were kept empty for Kejriwal and Soren at the rally at the Ramlila Maidan, and their spouses blamed the BJP-led Central government for the arrests.

Several opposition leaders expressed solidarity with Sunita and Kalpana, with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray saying, "When two of our sisters are fighting, how can the brothers stay behind?...Not just us, the whole country is with you."

Sunita read out a letter from her husband as she shared the stage with Kalpana and wives of jailed AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Satyender Jain. Another jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia's wife sent her wishes as she could not come to the event owing to her frail health.

A former IRS officer, Sunita listed 'six guarantees' by the incarcerated Delhi CM that the AAP will implement if the party is voted to power. Among them were free electricity, free healthcare for the poor as well as statehood for Delhi.

With mounting speculation on who might take over as the CM if Kejriwal resigns, the AAP has positioned Sunita as the emissary of her husband. In the ten days since her husband's arrest, Sunita has also taken to social media to post video messages, as she acts as the communication link between the party cadre and Delhi CM.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who arrived at the rally after it started, sat next to Sunita in a show of support.

With top Opposition leaders in attendance, Sunita said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent her husband to jail.

"Do you all believe that my husband is an honest man or not? Do you believe he is a patriot or not? These people from the BJP say that Kejriwal is in jail, and so he must resign… They arrested him. Your Kejriwal Ji is a lion, they will not be able to keep him in jail for long,” she said.

Sunita then read out the Delhi CM’s letter who urged the people to help him build a 'new India'. "I am not asking you to vote for me. I am not asking you to make anyone a winner or loser in the upcoming elections. Today, I seek cooperation from 140 crore people to make this country 'Bada Bharat'. I invite 140 crore citizens to make 'Naya Bharat'."

Speaking at the rally, Kalpana Soren said the people gathered there were against the autocratic forces that are attacking democracy. "We the tribals have a long story of struggle and sacrifices. We are proud of our history," she said.

"All the guarantees provided by Babasaheb's Constitution are being destroyed by the NDA government. Some parties may think of themselves as having absolute power, but people have the real power. Use your finger to vote for I.N.D.I.A bloc in the polls. If you want to save your country, democracy, use your vote wisely," she said.

Kalpana hails from Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, has a Masters in Engineering and an MBA degree.

(With agency inputs)