Electoral Bond Is BJP’s ‘White Collar Corruption’: Stalin At Rahul’s Mega Rally In Mumbai

A mega rally organised by the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc is underway in Mumbai on Sunday evening, showcasing a united front ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Key leaders from various political parties are participating in the event to demonstrate their strength and solidarity.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are among the prominent leaders attending the rally. Chief Minister Stalin emphasised the importance of addressing electoral bond issues, referring to them as “white-collar corruption,” while expressing the bloc’s commitment to forming a secular and inclusive government at the Centre.

VIDEO | Bharat Jodo Nyay Manzil: “I stand here with the immense pride of starting of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanniyakumari to a journey that has reached Mumbai today. This will reach Delhi soon. INDIA alliance will form the government,” says Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin… pic.twitter.com/tciDYNKZzT

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 17, 2024

“INDIA bloc will form truly secular and inclusive government at Centre,” he remarked, as per news agency PTI. Hitting out at the Modi government, he called Electoral bonds as BJP’s “white collar corruption”.

“Since Opposition named its alliance INDIA, BJP stopped using the word India out of fear,” PTI quoted the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister as saying.

Ex-Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah highlighted the need to safeguard India for all citizens, regardless of their religion, underscoring the bloc’s stance on inclusivity and equality.

“Kashmir to Kanniyakumari and Manipur to Mumbai; this is our India. We have the power to vote, and we should take it as our responsibility to save this country. I request everyone to look at the VVPAT slip carefully after voting, to make sure that your votes went to the right party,” Abdullah remarked.

VIDEO | Bharat Jodo Nyay Manzil: “Kashmir to Kanniyakumari and Manipur to Mumbai; this is our India. We have the power to vote, and we should take it as our responsibility to save this country. I request everyone to look at the VVPAT slip carefully after voting, to make sure that… pic.twitter.com/VBSae6JEjN

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 17, 2024

According to PTI, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav stressed that I.N.D.I.A bloc is fighting against the ideology of hate and not personally against PM Narendra Modi or Amit Shah.

Before the mega rally, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, along with party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, and other leaders of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, paid floral tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

#WATCH | Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and other leaders of the INDIA alliance pay floral tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ahead of their mega rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/MYyGkSUU9Q

— ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2024

Former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot also arrived in Mumbai to attend the rally and claimed that the Lok Sabha election result would come as a shock to people. “This rally is a start and the results are going to be shocking…this time, the results of the Parliament elections will be shocking…seat-sharing formula will be decided soon. The whole country is shaken by the electoral bond scam,” he told news agency ANI.

Ex-Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot termed the rally as “the beginning of our (I.N.D.I.A.) election campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.”

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, upon his arrival in Mumbai, expressed the bloc’s commitment to addressing real issues such as unemployment, inflation, and the challenges faced by farmers and labourers. He also went on to allege that state governments are being toppled with the help of ED and CBI.

ALSO READ | Electoral Bonds Second List: From BJP To TMC, Check Full List Of Who Received How Much

Akhilesh Yadav Cites Election Preparation In UP For Skipping Rahul Gandhi’s Rally In Mumbai

However, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav issued a statement regretting his inability to attend the rally due to the Election Commission’s announcement of nomination dates in Uttar Pradesh, scheduled from 20th March.

“The Election Commission has announced the elections yesterday, and the nomination process in Uttar Pradesh begins from 20th March. Due to the preparations for this, I am unable to attend the concluding program of the journey. I am not just hopeful but fully confident that the people, including farmers, youth, backward classes, Dalits, and women, will uproot the anti-people BJP in this election. The real success of this journey will be BJP’s defeat in this election,” he wrote in a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi.

Mega Rally Marks Conclusion of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’

The mega rally in Mumbai marks the conclusion of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,’ a mass outreach movement initiated ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Rahul Gandhi earlier undertook the ‘Nyay Sankalp Padyatra’ from Mani Bhavan, the home of Mahatma Gandhi in south Mumbai, along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and Congress supporters. The padyatra, symbolising solidarity with India’s struggle for independence, culminated at the August Kranti Maidan, where the Quit India movement began in 1942.