The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for a major show of strength in Delhi against the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A bloc's rally scheduled for November 1 at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. As per details, the party is preparing to organise a march involving around 5,000 people, with victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and their family members also expected to participate.
The proposed march will be led by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and will be held in Delhi's Hari Nagar area at 11 am on Sunday (November 1). Several prominent BJP leaders, including senior Sikh leaders from the party, are expected to take part in the programme.1984 anti-Sikh riot victims and families to join march
One of the key features of the proposed march will be the participation of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and their family members. Their presence is expected to bring the issue of the 1984 violence into the political spotlight as the BJP prepares its response to the Congress rally.
INDIA bloc to hold mega-rally at Ramlila Maidan
Meanwhile, leaders of the I.N.D.I.A bloc held a meeting on Friday at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss preparations for the November 1 rally. The Opposition alliance is organising the demonstration under the banner of 'Chalo Dilli Ramlila March'. Leaders are expected to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The rally is expected to draw political leaders and party workers from different parts of the country. Several Opposition parties, including those from southern states, have extended their support to the programme. Several Chief Ministers and senior Congress leaders are also expected to participate.
Chirag Paswan questions Oppn's rally timing
Union Minister Chirag Paswan has criticised the Congress-led Opposition alliance over its decision to hold the rally during the festive shopping season. He argued that the demonstration could create difficulties for traders and ordinary residents in the national capital. Speaking to reporters in Patna, Paswan told ANI, "Go ahead and hold your rally; there is no issue with that. But the timing of this rally is what is most concerning.
You have received permission from both the govt and the administration... but look at the timing. We are currently in the festive season. For the business community, this is the prime opportunity to earn their livelihood for the entire year and expand their businesses. Yet, right between Dussehra and Diwali, a period when people are out in large numbers to shop, buy gifts for one another, and prepare for the festivities, you have chosen to schedule this rally... They have effectively held Delhi hostage; there are constant protests and now, by moving to Ramlila Maidan, they are set to inconvenience the public and cause losses to the business community."
Paswan raises 1984 anti-Sikh riots anniversary
Paswan also questioned the Congress's decision to organise its rally on November 1, pointing out that the date holds a painful significance for the Sikh community because of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in Delhi.
He said, "Regarding November 1st, I don’t know if this is a coincidence or something else, but they should have at least been sensitive enough to realise that this date carries a different, somber significance. It was on this very soil, in Delhi, that the massacre of Sikhs took place. With the Punjab elections approaching, the Congress party, by holding a rally, a show of strength, on the anniversary of the Sikh massacre, is effectively rubbing salt into the wounds of those who lost their loved ones in that tragedy."