Indicating the Congress stand on the current political crisis in UP, party president Sonia Gandhi said only her party could lead a ‘‘second war of independence’’ in the state to end the ‘‘kushaasan’’ (misrule) of the BSP and the BJP.Addressing active party workers of Varanasi and Mirzapur divisions as part of her ongoing programme of ‘‘direct interaction’’ with grassroot workers at Jagatpur near here, Sonia said: ‘‘The people of UP want an end to the BSP-BJP coalition government’s misrule and are looking towards the Congress to take an initiative in this regard. Only the Congress can save the state from communal and casteist forces and we are ready to take on these forces in a second freedom movement.’’Elaborating on her stand, the Congress chief said: ‘‘One need not be a casteist to carry on the agenda of social justice and social equality. Similarly, one should not adopt a communal agenda in the name of furthering the cause of dharma.’’Terming the Gujarat riots as an experiment by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar to further their political interests, Sonia said a vicious campaign of hatred and distrust had been launched by the communal forces to halt the march of the secular Congress party towards New Delhi. She said the real face of the BJP, which had clear shades of hatred and violence, now stood exposed and their evil designs were doomed to fail. According to the Congress president, communalism had nothing to do with dharma and communal people were in reality ‘‘imposters’’ pretending to be religious.
