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Sonia, Priyanka campaign in Bellary

Congress president Sonia Gandhi today accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance of having a one-point programme of pointing an accusing finger at her family.

Addressing a series of meetings in Bellary, from where she is making her electoral debut, Gandhi recalled the contributions made by her family to the country and wanted her opponents to name what they had done.

Without naming any party or politician, she said the attempt to denounce the Gandhi family is not new. "I am not perturbed by it. My objective is to serve the people and I will continue to do it, drawing inspiration from the late Mrs Indira Gandhi and Mr Rajiv Gandhi," she said to cheers in Sandur.

Gandhi addressed well-attended meetings in Sandur, Siruguppa, Hadagalli and Kottur assembly segments of the Bellary Lok Sabha constituency.

Her daughter Priyanka Vadra joined her in the campaign and addressed the gathering in Siruguppa where she spoke three lines in Kannada.

Vadra was the cynosure of all eyes as she defied the security cordon and mixed freely with the gathering, especially the women, in Siruguppa.

This was the first time Gandhi had come to Bellary after filing her nomination.

She later addressed meetings in Chitradurga and Tumkur as well.

In her prepared text in Kannada, Priyanka Vadra appealed to the electorate to vote for her mother and said the country is keenly watching the outcome of the election in Bellary.

Addressing a large gathering at Siruguppa, 120km from Bellary town, Gandhi said: "I have lived most part of my life in India and my fate is destined in this country."

Gandhi, who began her speech in Hindi, expressed shock over the bus tragedy near Davangere and condoled the death of innocent devotees.

She said the country needed a stable government at the centre instead of a coalition set-up. It was a shame to take advantage of the soldiers' sacrifice at Kargil, she said, criticising the BJP-led government without naming it.

Touching upon several issues like poverty, unemployment and agriculture development, she said her party manifesto accorded top priority to various developmental activities for the people.

In Tumkur, Gandhi severely attacked the ruling coalition at the Centre and said that instead of ensuring developmental activities, the coalition partners were fighting each other most of the time during the short tenure.

"If the eighteen-party coalition could lead the country to such a situation, what will happen if the number in the coalition government increases to 22?" she wondered.

Gandhi said the country had witnessed a decline in growth in all sectors under the BJP-led government.

Playing the stability card, she said the country needs a strong and stable government that can serve its full five-year term and implement developmental activities. And only the Congress can unite the country, she said.

Ridiculing the alliance between the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) in Karnataka, she said the two parties, which slung mud on each other for five years, had now joined hands to capture power, but the alliance will not last long.

She urged the people to return the Congress to power in the state as well to ensure stability and development.

Gandhi said industrial investment in the country had dwindled as the BJP-led government had failed to create a healthy environment. Consequently, unemployment had increased. There is also economic stagnation, she added.

In agriculture also there have been serious problems leading to farmers committing suicide. She recalled her visit to Karnataka to visit the families of some farmers who had committed suicide following the crash in crop prices. The state government had done very little to help them.

She asked how the BJP-JD-U combine, which has no agenda or programme, could be trusted to ensure the welfare of the people of the state.

Making a passing reference to the Kargil operations, she said the Vajpayee government was not vigilant enough to stop the infiltration, which had begun in September last year. Instead of acting on the reports reaching it, the government went ahead with its bus diplomacy to Lahore. "How can we trust such people," she asked.

She promised that her party would offer free education up to the college level to the scheduled castes and tribes, backward classes and minority sections, besides women. It would also ensure legal, political, social and economic equality for women.

She also said the party stress the development of local self-government and ensure that all developmental funds are handed over to the local authorities.

UNI

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