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United India Rally: We will not allow riots in the name of ‘Rath Yatra’, says Mamata Banerjee

Experts Believe The 'United India Rally', Where Most Opposition Leaders Will Be Present, Would Endorse West Bengal CM's Candidature As Opposition’s PM Candidate.

News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Shashikant Sharma | Updated on: 19 Jan 2019, 03:57:47 PM
At least 25 top political leaders of Opposition parties will attend the rally. (Photo: Twitter/@AITCofficial)

highlights

  • TMC expects around 40 lakh will attend the rally.
  • At least 25 top political leaders will occupy the stage.
  • The rally is seen as crowning moment for Mamata Banerjee.

New Delhi:

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee will hold a mega rally of Opposition parties at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday. At least 25 top political leaders of Opposition parties, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, NCP’s Sharad Yadav, DMK chief MK Stalin and estranged BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, are have reached Kolkata to attend the "United India Rally”. The rally is in lines with Mamata Banerjee’s efforts to forge an anti-BJP federal front for the coming Lok Sabha elections 2019. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav are among the top leaders who will occupy the stage.

Although Congress president Rahul Gandhi expressed his support for the rally in his letter to the West Bengal CM, it was highly unlikely that he would turn up for the rally. Instead of Gandhi, top Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Abhishek Manu Singhvi will attend the rally. The TMC has claimed that around 40 lakh people are likely to reach the Brigade Parade Ground for the rally, which could be the biggest ever political rally at least in last 10 decades. However, the Kolkata police said that the ground can hold around 7 Lakh people.

The "United India Rally” will project Banerjee as a major political force to reckon with against the ruling BJP. Experts believe the rally, where the leaders of most Opposition parties will be present, would also endorse the West Bengal CM as Opposition’s PM candidate against BJP’s Narendra Modi in 2019.

Below are the live updates of TMC's Brigade Parade Ground rally:

The rally ends with the slogan "Badal do, badal do, Dilli mein sarkar badal do"



BJP has two seats in West Bengal. They will lose that very soon: Mamata Banerjee

BJP got enough days to deliver good days (acche din) but they didn't care at all: Mamata Banerjee

A new government will be formed at the Centre. It is inevitable. Their expiry date has come. This is people's verdict: Mamata Banerjee


We will not allow riots in the name of ‘Rath Yatra’, says Mamata Banerjee



It doesn't matter who will be the Prime Minister but BJP must be defeated, says Mamata Banerjee

The credibility of CBI has been destroyed, says Mamata Banerjee.



RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "We are not afraid of intimidation tactics. We have to save the country".



West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee begins her speech at United India Rally, says "We will work together to bring a new dawn for the country".



A sea of people at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground during Mamata Banerjee's United India rally.



Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge reads a message from Sonia Gandhi: "The upcoming general elections will be on the faith of restoring democracy in our country." 



"Today is a historic day for the country. The Shah-Modi duo have destroyed the country. We have to defeat Modi and Shah at any cost," says Arvind Kejriwal at United India Rally.



"Jo baat Bengal se chalegi, woh desh mein dikhai degi (What started from Bengal, will be seen all across the country)," says Akhilesh Yadav.



DMK Chief MK Stalin,Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge, BSP's Satish Mishra and SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav at opposition rally in Kolkata.



"The upcoming general elections in May will be the second freedom struggle of the country," says DMK's Stalin. 



"Clouds are parting. A rainbow of political parties is forming. The time for a coalition has arrived," says Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singvi.




Former MP Sharad Yadav says: "Not one institution is left, which has not been destroyed by the current govt at Centre."




Former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, says: "The BJP is dividing people on the basis of religion. We must all come together to defeat the divisive forces."



No other government has said so many lies. Never before were institutions undermined in this manner, says former Union Minister Arun Shourie.

Not one institution is left, which has not been destroyed by the current govt at Centre, says Sharad Yadav.

Clouds are parting. A rainbow of political parties is forming. The time for a coalition has arrived, says senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"This is not about removing one man from power. We have come together to defeat an ideology," says former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.

RLD leader Jayant Chaudhury says: "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow. Mamata Didi has shown it today"



Lalduhawma Ji from Mizoram says: "We want a secular government at the Centre."



Gegong Apang, former CM of Arunachal Pradesh says: "The last four years have been testing times for Indian democracy"



"The manner in which the country is run, is dangerous for the nation," says Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren.


"The country is passing through an unprecedented crisis. All parties have to come together to defeat BJP and RSS," says Jignesh Mewani.


Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK Chief MK Stalin received by CM Mamata Banerjee at 'United India' opposition rally, in Kolkata.



Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi,Union Minister on TMC's opposition rally today: Ye sab thake huye pite huye pehelwan hain jo akhaade mein ja kar phir apni qismat aazmana chahte hain. Pehla gathbandhan(in Karnataka) hi is haal mein hai toh aage kya hoga. (All of them are lost and tired wrestlers who want to try their luck once more time. Their first alliance is in peril then what would happend next.)

Crowd swells at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground for Mamata Banerjee's mega Opposition rally.



Mamata Banerjee arrives at Brigade Parade Grounds.



Mamata Banerjee welcomes Opposition leaders at the 'United India Rally' at Brigade Parade Grounds.



Massive crowd at Mamata Banerjee's mega Brigade Parade Ground rally in Kolkata.  


Crowds begin to gather for TMC led 'United India' rally in Kolkata today. The TMC has estimated that as many as 40 lakh people are likely to attend the rally.



Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, his son and Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu are amond the leaders who has already arrived in the city. Mamata Banerjee visited them at the various hotels across the city they have been put up.



A massive stage has been built at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground for the the rally what the TMC claims could be the biggest ever in at least a century. The party expects around 40 lakh people from across the state and others parts of the country will attend the rally.


 

Hello and welcome to News Nation Live Blog: The stage is set for West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee's mega Opposition rally against the Narendra Modi government. More than 20 national leaders, including former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha and Arun Shourie; three present chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Chandrababu Naidu and H D Kumaraswamy; and former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Akhilesh Yadav and Gegong Apang will attend the mega United India Rally at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground. Stay with us for more information as we will bring you all the live updates about the mega Opposition rally.

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First Published : 19 Jan 2019, 08:30:55 AM

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