Mumbai: The entire spectrum of opposition came together in Mumbai on Friday for a ‘save the constitution’ march.
The Sanvidhan Bachao Rally was against the government's silence over deteriorating law and order situation, increasing joblessness and frustration among youth, and the growing discontent among farmers, they said.
It was attended by Alpesh Thakur, Hardik Patel, Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja and Sushilkumar Shinde. The rally was convened by Swabhimani Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti.
NCP leaders Praful Patel and D P Tripathi and former MP Ram Jethmalani were also present. The Trinamool Congress deputed Dinesh Trivedi, former railway minister, for the march.
"This is not a political rally alone. Today, the common person feels insecure due to the continuous assault on her freedom. After the Supreme Court judges came out to seek justice, the people of India feel that the very Constitution that binds them together is under attack by the BJP government," Shetti told CNN-News18.
Yadav said the country was reeling under an undeclared emergency. "This is worse than emergency. The government has been acting against the interests of the farmers, youths, and children. Children are attacked because someone doesn't like a movie. This is lawlessness and this has dented the image of the country in the international forum. On one side, PM talks of red carpet, on the other side, goons who have State support burn public property and threaten law and order situation," he told CNN-News18.
Pawar said this was the beginning of a concerted effort by the opposition to raise the issue of threat to the Constitution.
Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said that since independence, identities of all Indian citizens have been derived from the Constitution. "Look at the situation in the country today. A simple movie release can cause law and order problems. This is not just an attack on the Constitution, but on the personal liberty too," he said.
Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson Tushar Gandhi also attended the rally. He said the RSS-BJP combine was doing everything to destroy the fabric of the Constitution. "There is an assault on liberty, freedom, equality. This is the time all the people should stand together against such divisive forces. Nobody is safe today," he said.
Sources who were closely involved in organising the rally told CNN-News18 that apart from Shetti, Pawar had played a key role in bringing all the leaders together. "He was the one who called some major national leaders and requested them to join the rally," a political worker said.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties are slated to meet again in Delhi on January 29 to decide the future course of action. Congress president Rahul Gandhi too will be approached, Pawar said.
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