INDIA bloc, civil society unite to restore democracy

The opposition INDIA bloc and civil society groups on Tuesday said they would fight together for what they called the restoration of the democratic process in the country. After a meeting with opposition leaders, civil society members and student leaders, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the political and people’s resistance would continue and would triumph. They will alsoto  intensify their political fight against the Union government’s decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. The parties also agreed to wait for the Supreme Court’s response to their petition filed on Monday before organising another massive march in the heart of Delhi.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged the leaders to remain prepared for “surprise movements”.“Democracy has been destroyed in this country. The election system has been destroyed. The Constitution has been torn up and thrown away. We are fighting together to restore democratic rule, genuine democratic rule in this country,” he said.
The meeting, which lasted more than two hours, saw several leaders criticise the government’s decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge attended the meeting. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha, and Samajwadi Party leaders Anand Bhadauria, Harender Malik and M Nadvi were also present.