During the historic rally, the opposition came together to condemn the incumbent NDA government, calling for the removal of what they labelled as the "tyrannical" Modi administration to safeguard the integrity of India's Constitution.
With over 150,000 attendees from across the state, the rally on Sunday witnessed the presence of senior opposition figures including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, JMM chief Shibu Soren, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren, Jharkhand CM Champai Soren, Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, Sunita Kejriwal, and CPI ML leader Deepankar Bhattacharya, among others.
Kalpana Soren, wife of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, read a letter penned by her husband from jail. "Friends, today I am not with you at the Jharkhand Ulgulan rally," she conveyed. "For the last four years, the opposition has been conspiring against me and has finally detained me in Birsa jail for about two and a half months on a baseless charge."
"This is the first time since independence that the top leaders and chief ministers and ministers of any party have been elected and thrown into jail in a coordinated manner just before the elections, without any trace and accused," she quoted Hemant. "Even though I am in jail today, I am happy that we are fighting for the protection of democracy. Not only us, but leaders of various states are taking it forward."
She continued quoting Hemant's concerns about the treatment of non-BJP states, alleging governmental interference and political manoeuvring such as toppling governments and engaging in alleged horse-trading of MPs and MLAs.
Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the arrests of opposition leaders, asserting, "Modi arrested two Chief Ministers of the nation." He praised Hemant Soren's resolve, stating, "Hemant Soren had no fault, but there was pressure on him that if you go to the INDI Alliance, if you make friends with anyone, they will send you to jail."
Tejashwi Yadav, the former Bihar Deputy CM and RJD leader, stated, "This is not an ordinary election. It's about saving democracy and the Constitution." He accused the BJP of attempting to alter the Constitution while simultaneously boasting about achieving over 400 seats.
Yadav likened their claims to a failed movie, saying, "This film called '400 Paar' has bombed spectacularly." He cited the low voter turnout in the first phase as evidence of the BJP's waning influence, asserting, "We've made it tough for the BJP in Bihar."
Sunita Kejriwal, wife of jailed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, condemned the government's actions as unjust and undemocratic. "What did they do wrong? The court did not find him guilty; no guilt was proved, yet they put him in jail by fraud and hooliganism," she remarked, highlighting the perceived injustice faced by opposition leaders.
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