Several opposition leaders voice support for Sibal’s newly-launched platform to fight injustice

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Several opposition leaders, including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, have expressed support for Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal’s newly-announced platform ‘Insaaf’ to fight for justice.

Sibal on Saturday said he was floating the new platform against the “injustice prevailing in the country” and called on everyone, including chief ministers and leaders of opposition parties, to support him in his endeavour.

AAP chief Kejriwal, senior Congress leader Baghel, Bihar deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray have expressed support for the platform.

The initiative by Sibal, a Congress veteran who quit the party in May last year and is considered an important voice of the Opposition, and his talk of bringing parties and leaders together come amid cracks in the opposition ranks, with the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) trading barbs repeatedly.

Also, nine opposition leaders, including chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and K Chandrasekhar Rao, have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging “blatant misuse” of central agencies against members of the Opposition. Significantly, the Congress, Left and the DMK were not signatories to the letter.

Kejriwal on Sunday appealed to people, including lawyers, to join Sibal’s newly launched platform ‘Insaaf’.

“This is a very important initiative of Kapil Sibal sahib. I appeal to everyone to join this and we will fight injustice together,” Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.

Later, speaking to reporters, the Delhi chief minister said Sibal is a well-known lawyer who is very active when it comes to social and political issues.

With his initiative, Sibal wants to connect people from various sections of society, especially lawyers from across the country, he said.

It’s a very good initiative by Sibal, the AAP national convener added.

“I appeal to the lawyers and people of the country to join this initiative and make every possible effort to help aggrieved persons get justice, wherever there is injustice with anybody,” Kejriwal said.

In a tweet in Hindi, Baghel said, “What can be better than everyone uniting against injustice! This was also the basis of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. We all welcome this initiative.”

The deputy chief minister of Bihar said, “We are in solidarity with your ideas Kapil Sibal ji. I agree lawyers have an important role and along with citizens of India they must unite to save the unity and integrity of this great country.”

Thackeray on Saturday had also come out in support of Sibal’s platform Insaaf.

All parties which want democracy to survive in the country should support it, the former Maharashtra chief minister said in a statement.

”Everyone who wants democracy to thrive should stand firmly with Kapil Sibal in his new initiative,” Thackeray said.

Asked about Sibal’s initiative, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, without giving a direct reply, had stressed that there was no doubt several opposition parties would be working together in the run-up to the 2024 elections.

At a press conference here, Sibal had said he would hold a public meeting of the new platform at Jantar Mantar on March 11 and will put forward a new vision of India there.

He said it was an open invitation for everyone, including opposition leaders and common people, to join him at the event.

“Will give a new vision of India, a positive agenda,” he had said at a press conference at his residence.

Sibal alleged that injustice is prevailing in every nook and corner of India.