Leaders of various non-NDA parties came on one platform here Thursday in a show of opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due next year and lambasted the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
The occasion was a rally organized by the Communist Party of India (CPI) which was attended by Congress national general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI national general secretary Sudhakar Reddy, its leader Atul Anjaan and D Raja, CPI(M) politburo member Mohd Salim, NCP leader D P Tripathi and Loktantrik Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav among others.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was conspicuous by his absence. His party said that he was away as part of a state-wide tour.
Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar also came in the firing line of the leaders at the rally for "betraying" the 2015 mandate and joining hands with the BJP to form a government in the state after dumping the Grand Alliance last year.
In his speech, Azad flayed the BJP-led NDA government over its Pakistan policy and demonetization. He asked "how many soldiers must get beheaded before this regime, which had started off with exchange of pleasantries with the Pakistani leadership, could take some effective action".
He also alleged that notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 were demonetized, rendering lakhs of artisans jobless, with the grandiose claim of eradicating black money.
The note ban was, in fact, a huge operation undertaken to convert large chunks of black money with the BJP into white, Azad alleged.
The former Union minister also came down heavily on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his betrayal of the mandate by walking out of the Grand Alliance, comprising JD(U), RJD and Congress and returning to the NDA.
It was at this Gandhi Maidan that the Grand Alliance was conceptualized. This historic venue is once again a witness to Bihar's search for a new alternative, Azad said.
Sharad Yadav, who was earlier the NDA convener and also headed the JD(U), accused Nitish Kumar of having cheated the people of Bihar by enjoying power with the BJP despite having fought against it in the elections.
He also alleged that democracy was under threat and would be finished if Narendra Modi returned to power.
CPI(ML) national general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the country needed a coalition of mass movements and urged communists and socialists to come together in their fight against the BJP.
He also said Bihar has been a laboratory of new political experiments. It must take the lead in providing a new alternative.
CPI(M) politburo member Mohd Salim and CPI national general secretary Sudhakar Reddy came down heavily on the Modi government, accusing it of corruption in the Rafale deal and claiming that the promise of "ache din" had proven true only for big corporate houses.
Former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha president Jitan Ram Manjhi underscored the need for opposition parties to concentrate on issues like land reforms and an education system that was uniform.
The rally was also attended by former JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar and Dalit leader from Gujarat Jignesh Mevani.
Tejashwi Yadav's absence led to speculations that he was uneasy about sharing the stage with Kanhaiya, who is a young leader from Bihar and could be a potential rival.
However, the speculations were dismissed by RJD spokesman and MLA Bhai Virendra who pointed out Tejashwi had not attended the CPI(ML) rally last week but sent a delegate.
Similarly, today when he is not in town, he has deputed state president Ram Chandra Purve.
RJD, Congress, HAM, CPI, CPI (M), NCP, Loktantrik Janata Dal of Sharad Yadav and CPI-ML are involved in formation of Mahagathbandhan to fight the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in the upcoming general election.
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