5 takeaways from INDIA bloc’s Ramlila rally: From Congress’s Punjab message to AAP to TMC clarifying position

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sagarika Ghose alleged the Union government of trying to “finish the federal structure” and asked why it was not releasing funds meant for the welfare of the poor in West Bengal, a matter the ruling party in the state has raised frequently over the past two years. Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav asserted his idea of “PDA (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak)”.

At the same time, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren defended his predecessor Hemant Soren and said the “Yuva Samrat” would never “bow down”. Like Soren, AAP leader and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann focused on his party chief and Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, calling him an idea that cannot be imprisoned. Kejriwal’s wife Sunita in her speech targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over her husband’s arrest.

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Congress deploys top guns

A day before the rally, the Congress emphasised that the event would not be a “person-centric” one. On Sunday, the party deployed all its heavyweights on the stage to ensure that the focus did not shift away from it. The Gandhis, Kharge, and senior party leader K C Venugopal were present on the stage. Kharge, Rahul, and Priyanka addressed the crowd.

Interestingly, Sonia Gandhi was also present at the meeting, underlining the event’s importance to the Congress. Sonia had skipped the Opposition meeting held in Mumbai on March 17 to mark the conclusion of the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Message for Punjab

The Congress and the AAP have a seat-sharing pact in different states, except Punjab. Kharge took the opportunity to send out a message to Mann.

“Mil ke chalenge. isiliye main Punjab ke hamare Chief Minister se main apeksha karta hoon jab ek honge hum ladenge tabhi hum kuch haasil karenge. Nahi to ek dusre ko kuchalte rahenge aap kabhi aage nahi ayenge. Pehle ek hone ka seekho, ek duursre ko todne ka mat socho. Yeh hamara usool hona chahiye. (Will move together. I expect the Punjab Chief Minister that we will achieve something only when we will fight together. Otherwise, we will not move forward if we will keep suppressing each other. First, learn to come together and not to break others. This should be our principle).”

With Punjab going to polls in the last phase of elections on June 1, Congress insiders said Kharge’s remarks indicate the party leadership’s hope of striking a deal in the AAP-ruled state. The Congress president’s conciliatory remarks came a day after the BJP named Congress MPs Preneet Kaur and Ravneet Singh Bittu, and AAP MP Sushil Kumar Rinku as its candidates from different seats in Punjab.

Trinamool’s stance

Though the talks between the Congress and the TMC failed in West Bengal, where both the parties set to go up against each other, the Mamata Banerjee-led party joined forces with the INDIA alliance at the Sunday rally. “The AITMC is very much, was, is and will be part of the INDIA alliance,” emphasised party MP Derek O’Brien. His Rajya Sabha and party colleague Sagarika Ghose also reiterated that the party was with the national alliance.

Invoking Lord Ram

Given that the event was being held at the Ramlila Maidan, the Opposition that had faced flak for skipping the consecration of the Ayodhya Ram Temple in January invoked Hindu deity Ram in several speeches. Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana said everyone needed to understand the “principles of Lord Ram” who followed “principles … displayed patience and tolerance … and showed respect to vanquished opponents” while fighting a war.

Priyanka Gandhi recalled that when she was young, she used to visit the Ramlila Maidan with her grandmother Indira on Dussehra. “Those who are in power today, they call themselves Rambhakt. I feel that they have got trapped in karmakand and are involved in showing off … When Lord Ram fought for truth, he had no satta (power), resources, and rath (chariot). Chariots, resources, army and gold all were with Ravan who used to live in ‘sone ki Lanka (golden Lanka)’. Lord Ram had truth, hope, faith, affection, politeness, patience and courage.”

The Congress leader said she wished to tell PM Modi that the “message of Lord Ram’s life” was “satta sadev nahi rehti, satta aati hai jaati hai (power is not permanent. It comes and goes)”.