Sonia starts MP poll drive, asks people to reject BJP

MANDSAUR, NOV 12: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched her party's campaign for the November 25 Assembly elections in Madhya Prade...

MANDSAUR, NOV 12: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched her party8217;s campaign for the November 25 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh by asking the people to reject BJP whose performance, she claimed, left much to be desired at the Centre and in Delhi and Rajasthan.

8220;You have seen the BJP8217;s performance at the Centre and in some states and know that Congress can rule much better than them,8221; Sonia said at the party8217;s campaign meeting at the MIT college ground here. 8220;The Vajpayee government is so busy in fighting for its own survival that it simply does not have the time to think about the problems of the poor,8221; Sonia said.

As a result, prices of essential commodities have sky-rocketed in the last eight months of the BJP government at the Centre, she said adding there was a need to be on guard against the 8220;directionless8221; policies of BJP which could cost the nation heavily.

The Congress president said before the Lok Sabha elections this year, BJP had promised to give a stable government butwhat the people were seeing now was 8220;an unstable and opportunist ruling coalition at the Centre.8221;

Wherever BJP was in power it spread hatred while Congress stood for communal harmony, Sonia said and praised the last five years of Congress rule in Madhya Pradesh pointing out that not a single incident of communal violence had taken place in the state during this period.

Addressing another meeting at Kukshi, Sonia charged the BJP with taking the country towards destruction. She said the people in BJP-ruled states including Delhi, Rajasthan and Maharashtra were reeling under problems and pointed out that the biggest loss was being caused by the Vajpayee government.

Corruption was spreading all around, Sonia said adding that to overthrow the Vajpayee government the Congress must be returned to power in Madhya Pradesh.

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She stressed that the Congress did not indulge in politics of religion since it believed that it was incorrect and improper to do so. The Congress president said her party had alwaysworked for the welfare of the poor, tribals and dalits. Congress wanted to establish new traditions and take the nation on the path of progress and prosperity in this new age, Sonia added.

She urged the people to cast their votes in the Assembly elections in four states carefully after taking into consideration the 8220;poor8221; performance of BJP when in power.

Party general secretary Madhavrao Scindia, who also spoke at the meeting, said a victory for the Congress in the Assembly polls would help the country move towards progress and development. He also lauded the good work done by the Digvijay Singh government in the state.

Others who spoke included Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and local Congress nominee Jamuna Devi.