The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) mega-rally held at Ramlila Maidan proved to be a resounding success as an overwhelming number of citizens joined forces to express their unwavering support for AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal's campaign against the Modi government's assault on democracy.
Braving scorching temperatures, lacs of Delhiites assembled at the historic grounds to pledge their allegiance to the cause of protecting the constitution and safeguarding the principles of democracy. Addressing the massive gathering, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal emphasised the magnitude of their movement, stating that soon this movement to rid this nation from egoistic dictators and protect the constitution will prove to be a tremendous success.
His impassioned words resonated with the crowd, fueling their determination to defend the rights of the people and restore the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution of India.Highlighting the recent developments in light of the anti-Delhi ordinance, the CM pointed out the landmark verdict by the Supreme Court on May 11, 2023, reinstating the rights of the people of Delhi.
However, he lamented that Prime Minister Modi swiftly snatched away those rights through an ordinance in just eight days. Terming PM Modi's anti-Delhi ordinance an infringement upon the tenets of democracy, he warned that it aimed to impose dictatorship upon the capital city.
Babasaheb's Constitution placed the public at the helm, but PM Modi is assaulting the constitution to undermine the rights of the public, asserted CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, denouncing the Prime Minister's actions. At the same time, the CM reassured the people of Delhi that they were not alone in their struggle, stating that the whole country is supporting their cause to save democracy.
Stressing the gravity of the situation, he emphasised that if PM Modi's assault on democracy remained unchecked, similar ordinances could be imposed on every state, posing a severe threat to the nation's democratic fabric.The AAP's Maha-Rally at Ramlila Maidan, characterised by its massive turnout and fervent determination, marked a significant milestone in the fight against the erosion of democratic values in India.
In a remarkable display of solidarity, citizens from all over Delhi converged at Ramlila Maidan and filled the streets today, answering the call of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal to express their support for the protection of constitutional rights. The event, organised in response to the Modi government's recent ordinance overturning the Supreme Court's decision, witnessed an overwhelming turnout, with over one lakh individuals joining the rally.
Despite the scorching heat and a blazing sun, the enthusiasm of the attendees remained unwavering. Even though the rally commenced at 10 a.m., people had already begun arriving as early as 8 a.m., determined to voice their dissent against the deprivation of constitutional rights through the unconstitutional ordinance.
Ramlila Maidan quickly reached capacity, with thousands of additional individuals spilling onto the surrounding streets, further amplifying their message. Despite the sweltering 42-degree Celsius temperature, the attendees remained undeterred, braving the heat and standing steadfast until 1:30 p.m.
Chants reverberated throughout Ramlila Maidan, echoing the sentiments of the attendees. Slogans such as “Modi teri tanaashahi, nahi chalegi-nahi chalegi”, “Adhyaadesh vaapas lo-vaapas lo”, “Supreme Court ka aadesh lagu karo”, & “Arvind Kejriwal zindabad” resounded, symbolising the resolute determination of the people to protect their constitutional rights.
The crowd’s commitment to the cause was evident as they arrived wearing headbands and T-shirts adorned with slogans denouncing the Modi government's unconstitutional ordinances. These visuals served as a powerful testament to their unwavering belief that the central government's actions are undermining the Constitution and stifling the functioning of the Delhi government, leading to the erosion of the rights of Delhi's residents.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people for the immense love that they have shown towards him and his party. Pointing out that there are over 40-50 video cameras of television channels over here at the Ramlila Maidan, he urged the people to take out their mobile phones and open their social media handles and asked them to put it on Live.
“Today there will not just be the video cameras of the media persons, but there will be 1 lakh live channels that will broadcast this speech from the Ramlila Maidan," he said. He pointed out to the people that it was 12 years ago when he and some other citizens of the country gathered at this very venue - the Ramlila Maidan to fight against corruption.
“Today once again some of us have gathered here to fight and defeat a very greedy king. We have gathered over here to defeat a dictator. Just like how that fight 12 years ago was successful, I am confident that this fight that we are starting from this holy ground of the Ramlila Maidan will also be successful and the dictatorship that we are experiencing in this country will come to an end,” he said.
The Delhi CM highlighted how it had fought a battle for over eight years and eventually the Supreme Court of India ruled in its favour. Pointing out that the eminent lawyer Shri Abhishek Manu Singhvi was representing the Delhi Government in this battle in the court, the CM thanked him for his support for the people of Delhi.
“It was exactly a month ago from today, on 11th May that the Supreme Court ruled in our favour. But just eight days later on 19th May, the Centre brought in an ordinance to overturn the court ruling. It is basically the Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi saying that he does not believe or follow the orders of the court.
For the first time in 75 years since our Independence, we have a PM who says that he is not going to listen to the orders of the court. The people of this country are shocked at the attitude of the PM. The people cannot believe that we have such an egoistic Prime Minister governing us. The people on our streets and within their houses are speaking about this issue and saying that they cannot believe that PM Modi has such a big ego,” he said.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal pointed out that this is what is referred to as a dictatorship.
“When the PM of the country says that I am not going to listen to the Supreme Court, this is what dictatorship is. This is called Hitler-shahi. I want to tell the people what it is that the court had said in its order. What is it that the court asked the Centre to follow and PM Modi is refusing to follow it.
The court has basically said that India is a democracy and it is the people that are supreme. The people elect the government that they want, and the elected government goes on to work for the people of the state. This is exactly what happens in Delhi as well.
The residents of Delhi vote for a government and that government, irrespective of which political party goes on to form the government, works for the people. I want to ask the people, what is wrong in what the court has said? Why is it that PM Modi is refusing to listen to this ruling of the Supreme Court? Everyone is wondering why PM Modi decided to promulgate an ordinance and overturn this order of the Supreme Court,” he said.
The Delhi CM highlighted that bringing an ordinance on this issue is basically a clear message from PM Modi that from now on court rulings are not important. “He is basically saying that from now on India will no longer be a democracy. What the Supreme Court or any other court is saying is not important.
The PM wants to send the message that India will now be ruled under a dictatorship. He is saying that the people are no more supreme in the country. He has said that it is the LG who will govern Delhi, and therefore in effect, he will do as he wants in the city. Who the residents of Delhi elect, it does not matter, as eventually the LG will follow the orders of PM Modi and run the city,” he said.
The AAP National Convenor pointed out that it was on 26th January, 1950 that the Constitution of India, that was written by a team headed by Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was enacted. “That constitution made it very clear that India will be a democracy and the voices of the people will be supreme.
But the current PM wants to change this very basic nature of our constitution. His government has issued an ordinance that goes against this very basic principle, and it says that the representatives elected by the people are not important, but the person selected by the Centre – the LG – is the one who will govern Delhi,” he said.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal pointed out that the ordinance issued by the Central Government is nothing but an insult to the residents of Delhi. “With this ordinance, the PM is essentially saying that there is no power in the vote of the residents of Delhi. The resident can vote for whoever they want, but essentially it is the PM who will rule over Delhi through the LG Office.
This is an insult to the people of Delhi. The leaders of the BJP abuse me every single day in public. I do not care much about it. I also do not react to their abuses as my upbringing is not like theirs. I am busy working for the people of Delhi every 24 hours and therefore I ignore their abuses.
But this time around, these people have gone on to insult and abuse the people of Delhi. They have snatched the power of the vote of the residents of Delhi. I will certainly not tolerate this. The BJP and its leaders have literally slapped the people of Delhi on their face with this ordinance and therefore I will fight against it and ensure that it is taken back by the Centre,” he said.
The Delhi CM said that in the last couple of weeks he has been travelling across the country, getting the support of other people and their leaders to oppose this ordinance. “I want to tell the people of Delhi that they are not alone in this fight. The people across the country and their leaders are standing in solidarity with you. Over 140 crore people across the country stand with you.This includes the people of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, etc.
I also want to tell the 140 crore citizens of India that please do not think that this is only the battle of the people of Delhi. I have received some important information from the BJP offices, and have been informed that this is only the first weapon that the BJP plans to use to bring changes to the constitution that will go on to overthrow democratic institutions within the country.
Such ordinances can tomorrow be issued in Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra and so on. Therefore it needs to be stopped at the moment,” he said.Shri Arvind Kejriwal highlighted how the people of Delhi have overwhelmingly voted for AAP in the last two state assembly elections.
“Why is PM Modi after the people of Delhi? In 2014, the residents of Delhi voted in the favour of the BJP and gave him all the seven MPs from the city. But the following year, in the state assembly polls, they gave only 3 seats to the BJP out of 70. They gave the AAP 67 seats and asked Kejriwal to run Delhi. Such was our majority.
The people asked Modiji to run the country, but very clearly told him to stay out of Delhi. This repeated in the next state assembly elections in 2020, and AAP went on to win 62 seats. But the PM has not been able to handle the Central Government as well. Look at the condition of our economy and the high inflation and unemployment.
But every single day he has the time to actively obstruct the work of the Delhi Government. I try to build schools, hospitals and mohalla clinics, but PM Modi actively comes ahead to try and break them. Last year, the PM even got the free medicines being given to the people of Delhi in mohalla clinics to be stopped.
I wanted to cover the streets of Delhi using CCTV cameras to make it safe for women in Delhi, but PM Modi got that project blocked through the LG Office. He also got the free yoga classes stopped for the citizens of Delhi. I want to tell him to run the Centre well and leave Delhi to us. He is unable to run the Centre at the moment, but is still focused on stopping our work in Delhi,” he said.
He continued, “The inflation across the country has made life so difficult for our citizens. The price of petrol is almost touching a century, diesel is at Rs 90/litre, milk has become expensive and so have the vegetables. An LPG cylinder costs above Rs 1000 at the moment. But this ‘4th Pass King’ is unable to govern the country.
One day the government announces that it will introduce the Rs 2000 note, and then five years later it announces that this note will be abolished. They have no knowledge on how to run the economy. If the people had voted for an educated Prime Minister then at least he or she would have been able to tell you whether to keep the Rs 2000 note or to abolish it would be better for the country.
There is unemployment all around us in the country and these leaders are unable to control it. There is corruption all around us and these people have no way to control it as well. The implementation of the GST a couple of years ago has still not solved the problems that the government had claimed to solve before its introduction. The traders across the country are bothered by it,” he said.
Shri Arvind Kejriwal continued, “The BJP-led Centre has made a mess of the Railways in the country. I would urge you to buy a second-class or a third-class AC ticket for a train and travel in it. These people have messed it all up. There was a time when the trains in our country were our pride, but now the government has messed this up as well," he said.
Speaking about the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, "From 2002 to 2014, for 12 long years he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. In 2014 he became the Prime Minister of the country and it has been nine years now since then. For 21 years he has been in power either at the state or the Centre.
I became the CM of Delhi in 2015, and it has been eight years for me since I started to govern Delhi. Today I challenge the PM to speak about the work that he has done in his 21 years and I will speak about my work over the last 8 years. Let the people of the country decide who has done more work. These people do not know how to work, and at the same time they want to stop those who are working for the country," he said
Speaking about his work in Delhi since 2015, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, "Modiji had all the powers at his disposal during his 21 years of governance. I did not even have that. However, I've still gone on to build more schools, hospitals, mohalla clinics and provide free electricity, education and healthcare to the citizens.
Modiji often accuses me of distributing "free revdis" to the poor. What is wrong if I assist those who need the assistance. You have instead gone on to distribute mega "revdis" to your businessman friends. You have gone on to give the entire country to these people to loot," he said.
The Delhi CM asked why the BJP despite being in power in Gujarat for over 30 years could not build a good quality school over there. "Now the people are beginning to ask Modiji what he has done while being in power for so long. A couple of months ago, I was in Gujarat while campaigning for the elections there.
The people there kept asking me about how I managed to build such good schools and made education free in Delhi. So, one day PM Narendra Modi decided to do a photoshoot in a school in Gujarat. However he could not find one good school to do his PR shoot, and eventually a mock classroom had to be built using a tent for the PM to do his photoshoot.
This is the condition of the government schools in Gujarat despite the BJP being in power for more than 30 years," he said.Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that just because the Centre is not able to explain why it has not worked for the people in the last many years, that now it has decided to trouble the states that are diligently working for the people.
"This is why they have gone on to arrest Shri Manish Sisodia. They thought that if they arrest Shri Manish Sisodia then the educational activities in the government schools of Delhi would stop. Similarly they arrested Shri Satyendra Jain and thought that all the good work being done in the Mohalla Clinics would stop.
I want to tell them that we don't have one Manish Sisodia but thousands of them. Similarly, we do not have just one Satyendra Jain but thousands of them. So, if the BJP tries to stop one Sisodia or Jain from working, then the others will arise," he said.
The Delhi CM pointed out that when the BJP was unable to stop the work of the Delhi Government by arresting people, it decided to bring in the ordinance. "When such cruelty is being forced on the people of Delhi by the Centre, where are the seven MPs that the people of Delhi had voted for in the last general election.
All of them are sitting in their houses and enjoying their privileges. These people will never come out to fight for the rights of the people of Delhi. It is only Kejriwal, who is a son and brother of the citizens of Delhi, who will come out and fight for them," he said.
Then, Shri Arvind Kejriwal shared the story of the "4th Pass King" with the crowd at Ramlila Maidan. The story revolves around a king who was not well-educated but was egoistic and greedy. Despite being referred to as the "4th Pass King," he managed to become the ruler with the help of cunning ministers who took advantage of his lack of knowledge.
The king, embarrassed by his educational background, obtained a fake university degree and continued lying to his citizens while being driven by greed. The story highlights various instances where the king's lack of understanding led to disastrous decisions.
He implemented a demonetisation scheme without comprehending its implications, causing suffering for the citizens and failing to address corruption and terrorism. Similarly, he blindly signed the controversial farm laws and faced widespread protests from farmers, leading to their eventual withdrawal. The king also made ineffective attempts to combat a major pandemic based on misguided advice from officers.
In conclusion, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that the people should know what is good for the country and the next time they go out to vote, they should vote for a Prime Minister who is educated and can work for the betterment of the nation.
PM Modi and BJP do not want any other party to form government in the country – Bhagwant Mann
Addressing Maharally, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that today is not a show of strength. We just have to tell the public how their rights are being taken away. The common people of the country go to the polling booth in all kinds of weather, sun, cold and rain, to cast their votes and think that this is my favorite leader and I will send him to the assembly with my vote, then good laws will be passed, the work will be done.
But Prime Minister Modi and the people of BJP do not want any other party to form government except them. If somewhere the BJP government is not formed through elections, then they form it through by-elections or buy 25-30 MLAs. They call the Governor at 4 am and get him administered the oath of the Chief Minister, then the rest is taken care of later.
BJP i.e. "Bharatiya Jugadu Party" keeps doing some jugaad. He said that 2 crore people of Delhi voted for the Aam Aadmi Party and made Arvind Kejriwal the Chief Minister. If the CM will not be able to give orders to the officers, will not be able to take action against any corrupt officer. Then how will the system work? It is not about 2 crore people of Delhi alone, but about 140 crore people of the country. Because people of every state live in Delhi.
Aam Aadmi Party is getting support from everywhere against the ordinance of the Center – Bhagwant Mann
CM Bhagwant Mann said that we went all over the country and talked about the rights of the people of Delhi. We are getting support from all over the country. Punjab is a full state. Our governor did not allow the elected government of Punjab to call a budget session. After which we had to approach the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court said that there will be a budget session. BJP is creating one or the other obstacle in every state where there is non-BJP government. He said that India is the largest democratic country in the world. But is there any democracy left in the country? 140 crore people of the country will have to unite and save the country.
Thousands of martyrs gave their life for this country. It is not anyone's personal property. These people have started considering themselves as masters. They think that we will rule the country. If 140 crore people decide that we have to save the country, then the country will be saved.
BJP have become so arrogant that if they win in 2024, they will change the constitution. After that there will be no elections in the country. 'Narendra Putin' will become PM. The country has to wake up. He said that this Ramlila Maidan is the birthplace of the Aam Aadmi Party. They used to say jokingly that laws are not made while sitting on the streets, come after winning. Time changes, now, We have governments in two states.