Ahead of the upcoming general election, in a powerful display of opposition strength, the INDIA bloc held a massive rally at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on March 3. This is the very ground that has a long history of determining the direction of Indian politics.
The mass gathering, dubbed Jan Vishwas Rally, was a blockbuster. Prominent national leaders from the Samajwadi Party, Congress, and Left attended, and Lalu Prasad delivered a rare public speech. It was the first coming-out party in the northern belt and the first since JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s recent flip-flop. The huge success of the meeting can be seen in the gathering’s determination as they braved cold winds and rain.
In a powerful display of opposition strength, senior leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) spoke at a joint rally in Patna. Arguably, the rally’s tone and tenor set the narrative that forced Modi and Shah to respond. In his inimitable style, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav attacked Modi and questioned his religious identity. While other leaders of the INDIA bloc criticized the ruling BJP and Modi-led Union government for failing the nation’s impoverished and singled out Nitish Kumar for his frequent alliance changes.
This was INDIA bloc’s first major gathering of the year due to the articulate expression of aggressive ideas from a different perspective, emphasizing jobs, economic improvement, and discontent with Modi’s pledges and new slogans. As the north region is regarded as India’s Achilles heel because of its low social indicators and puerile political awareness at a time when Modi and his party are harping on the incomplete Ram temple atop the ruins of historic Babri Masjid, the opposition moved quietly and made a stir in Patna.
The Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and leader Rahul Gandhi, who stopped his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Madhya Pradesh to reach Patna, enhanced the scale of the public rally organized by RJD.
Among other leaders who addressed the rally were Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, CPI’s Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja, and Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI(ML). They made the event a major focal point for the launch of INDIA in the North Belt.
When he mentioned Nitish Kumar’s flip as “chachapalatgaye,” Tejashwi Yadav didn’t hold back. Speaking about his father, former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, he ridiculed Modi for India’s poor performance in the industry and lashed out at its privatization, citing his father’s “record of putting the Indian Railways into a profit mode.” Tejashwi Yadav said BJP leaders are “liars and deceive everyone.”“BJP’s people are such liars that they can serve ‘gobar’ by deceiving everyone and saying it is a ‘gajar ka halwa’. They are all liars.”
Tejashwi stressed the importance of jobs, something his party is eager to claim, and highlightedthe brief history of Mahagatbandhan government in contrast to the 17-year NDA rule. The slogan was “BhajpaBhagaao, DeshBachaao.” The meaning of RJD, according to him, is R for rights, J for jobs, and D for development.
When Lalu Prasad Yadav came to the microphone, the masses responded emotionally to him. He said, “I say here, at Gandhi Maidan, with confidence that the BJP will be ousted at the incoming polls.” He raised the slogan, “Dilli pe qabzakarnahai.”
In Bihar, said Lalu, “all manner of greats have been born; just here in Gandhi Maidan, national leaders have held meetings. And it is from here that messages go to the rest of the country. This is what will happen tomorrow.”
“Narendra Modi: who is he?”“Why is he going on about parivarwaad, taunting those who have families?” The seventy-five-year-old Lalu, who is renowned for not holding back, asked, “What can we do if Narendra Modi does not have a family of his own? He is constantly gloating about the Ram temple. He is not a sincere Hindu. According to Hindu custom, a son’s head and beard must be shaved when his parent passes away. When his mother passed away, Modi did not act accordingly.”
He said that Modi was just fomenting hatred, saying, “Nafratphailaaraheho? Ram Rahim kebantneymein.”
However, his speech focused on Bihar in the past and the pervasive caste inequality that existed from the village well to the roadways. “Izzat was given to everyone.” He brought up the Mandal Commission and the way that lower castes came to hold political power. He claimed that all Dalits and members of underprivileged castes are now able to access positions of authority because of the commission.
“In the 1990s, underprivileged groups were excluded from representation… We endowed them with authority. We invited all social classes to speak at rallies on this Gandhi Maidan alone, and we used the Mandal Commission not only in Bihar but throughout the entire nation. Those who consider themselves huge people are therefore unable to look at the impoverished. There used to be wells back then. A lower caste would be driven out of a well if someone from a superior caste tried to utilize it. Only after all of the water had been discarded was the well emptied and used.”
In their speeches, alliance leaders singled out Nitish Kumar, saying he had “weak ideology.”
“Those who are not strong ideologically cannot fight,” Kharge sneered at Nitish Kumar, adding, “You (Tejashwi Yadav) should not take him into the party if he returns.”
“Modi pledged in 2014 to provide youth with 2 crore (20 million) jobs annually. Was it delivered by him? Though he didn’t, Tejashwi fulfilled his pledge by providing employmentfor about 200,000 individuals. This is an excellent illustration of how the INDIA alliance fulfills its commitments, according to Kharge.
Using a poem, Kharge called out Modi and Paltu Chacha for their “lies.” He emphasized the significance of continuing the fight to prevail in the upcoming elections. “Those in the INDIA bloc follow what they say. INDIA is currently at war with Modi. The nation won’t prosper as long as you don’t remove Modi. The constitution and democracy will not last if Modi is not removed. It is your responsibility to protect our constitution. He declared that no one would be brought under control by central authorities.”
The most scathing criticism of Nitish Kumar, though, came from Lalu Prasad, his longtime opponent and two-time former chief minister of Bihar. His persona has become associated with the term “turncoat” or “palturam” due to his own actions. “I never abused Nitish Kumar; I just said he was palturam (a pet). I can see funny videos about him on social media and wonder whether these do not drive him to shame,” the 75-year-old remarked. “The second time, Tejashwi and I made a mistake when he came to us, but he turned around and sought solace at Modi’s feet. Is he not embarrassed by all the memes we receive on our phones?”
The well-known words “Singhasankhali karo, ki Janta aatihai” – vacate your throne, for the people are here” – were attributed to Hindi writer Ramdhari Singh Dinkar by CPI(ML) member Bhattacharya. He drew attention to the fact that the pre-wedding festivities of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s son were allowed, while thousands of farmers were denied a hearing despite several of them losing their lives.
“Modi hatao,deshbachao,” Yechury declared, complimenting the Mahagatbandhan for jobs while criticizing the Modi government’s broken promises. He cited the Puranic story of the amrit (elixir) falling into the hands of the “wrong persons” during the oceanic turbulence. He stated that the task at hand was to retrieve the amrit and preserve India so that her citizens would have a brighter future.
For his part, Akhilesh Yadav emphasized that Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were essential in determining the nation’s political outcomes.
Together, UP (having 80 Lok Sabha seats) and Bihar (having 40 seats) hold 120 seats. The BJP will not be able to establish the government at the federal level if we guarantee its defeat in these two states, he declared.
The rally marks the conclusion of the ‘Jan Vishwas Yatra,’ a statewide campaign led by Tejashwi Yadav to engage the public ahead of Lok Sabha polls. The yatra saw its culmination in the rally and broke into a Bollywood number to taunt Nitish Kumar, whogoes sometimeshere, sometimes there, and slips (idharchalakabhiudharchala… phisalgaya). Tejashwi Yadav made reference to Modi’s speeches at the consecutive rallies in the districts of Begusarai and Aurangabad, saying, “Modi ji had indirectly taunted me yesterday, saying I was wary of speaking about my father’s deeds.” I’m answering him now. I hope he pays attention as I speak in front of the large gathering (Jan Sailab) out here.
The Patna gathering of the INDIA coalition was a “sight to behold, not to tell.” BJP officials, however, referred to the rally as “a flop” because it failed to elicit any enthusiasm from the electorate.
“There was no crowd near the stage when Laluji spoke at Gandhi Maidan in Patna,” stated party spokesperson Nikhil Anand. RJD attempted, but failed, to transform its image by organizing opposition figures throughout India. Leaders at the disastrous Jan Vishwas rally performed a collective elegy of the INDIA Alliance’s downfall.
However, YouTuber DhruvRathee’svideo“Is India becoming a dictatorship?” unprecedented viewing and the massive INDIA rally are clear pointers of which way the wind is blowing in the country.