13 Opposition parties meet President, seek his intervention to 'uphold rule of law in the country'

New Delhi: A delegation of 13 Opposition parties met President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to being his attention to issues like the lynching of a man in Alwar by cow vigilantes and the concerns surrounding safety of EVMs.

The delegation comprised leaders of various parties led by the Congress and will include the Left and the TMC, the DMK, the NCP, the JD-U, the RJD, the SP and the BSP, among others.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, CPM Sitaram Yechury were among those present.

Briefing the media after the meeting, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “A 13 member delegation of Opposition parties met Rashtrapati ji. We have given a detailed memorandum to the honourable President.”

Azad said the memorandum has detailed many issues facing the country today.

“There is a sense of insecurity prevailing in the country; voices of dissent are being muzzled,” he said.

The memorandum mentions incidents like the recent killing of a man by a mob in Alawar, Rajasthan by cow vigilantes and similar such incidents that happened in Jharkhand, Udhampur and elsewhere.

The Opposition parties have also expressed their concern over bypassing of the Parliament by the government.

“Critical appointments have been made arbitrarily bypassing the Parliament. Key bills are being passed as Money Bills to undermine the constitutional position of the Rajya Sabha,” he said,

The Congress' allegations that BJP formed governments in Goa and Manipur by unfair means also finds mention in the memorandum.

The EVM issue was also raised by the Opposition during their meeting with President Mukherjee.

“The Opposition had met the Election Commission and they have taken note of it and has promised to hold an all-party meet (on the issue),” Azad said.

Azad also alleged that the government is 'attacking' universities and educational institutions in its attempt to “create a new history.”

He gave examples of the developments concerning the Nalanda University and the Nehru Museum and Library to stress his point.

“People who have no connect with the independence movement are being given charge of such institutions,” he alleged.

The Opposition parties also expressed concerns about what they called the “failure of governance in Jammu and Kashmir.”

“We have requested the President to protect India's constitutional democracy, safeguard fundamental rights of citizens and to uphold the rule of law,” he said.