The sharpest attack thus far against the BJP – ranging from the ruling party having imposed “dictatorship” to doing “match-fixing” in the elections which would “burn India” – came at the INDIA parties’ first public rally on Sunday following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.

It was a show of unity with even Trinamool Congress, which is going it alone in West Bengal, fielding its MP Derek O’ Brien to declare that the TMC “was, is and will always be a part of INDIA”.

In attendance, were Tiruchi Silva of DMK, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, D. Raja of CPI and Dipankar Bhattacharya of the CPI(ML)(Liberation), Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi of the Congress, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP, Farooq Abdullah of NC, Akhilesh Yadav of SP, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar of NCP and Chief Minister of Jharkhand Champai Soren.

A special place was reserved for the wives of the two jailed leaders – Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren and Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal. Sonia Gandhi say next to Sunita Kejriwal and talked for a long time. “We are here for our sisters – Sunitaji and Kalpanaji,” said Udhhav Thackeray, adding, “We are certain that we are living in a dictatorship. Ours is now a fight to save democracy.”

The most strident was Rahul Gandhi who said without “match-fixing”, the BJP cannot win more than 180 seats in this election.

“Before the match even started, two crucial players from our team (Kejriwal and Soren) were jailed. Narendra Modiji is trying to do match-fixing in this election. This slogan of 400 seats, without EVMs, without match-fixing, without pressuring the media, they are not crossing 180 seats,” said Gandhi, adding, “This match-fixing is being done by the 3 to 4 billionaires of India with Modi.”

“This is not an ordinary election. This is an election to save India and the Constitution...You do not want the opposition to fight the elections. I am telling the truth, so mark my words. If the BJP wins the election after match-fixing, they will change the Constitution and the entire country will burn. The states will separate. This country will not survive,” Gandhi warned.

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