Sonia strikes chord in tribal hearts

The Congress8217; star campaigner, who has breathed new life into a moribund party apparatus, began by reminding the crowd, culled from all over Gujarat in all modes of transport, that 8220;let8217;s salute Subhashchandra Bose on his birth anniversary8221;.

Draped in a maroon sari, Sonia read out her speech in near impeccable Hindi; though she betrayed her Italian accent while pronouncing names of leaders. 8220;I feel good to be at Bardoli, where Mahatma Gandhi had bestowed the title of Sardar8217; on Vallabhbhai Patel 70 years ago,8221; she stated to loud cheer.

She drew the loudest applause when she launched a veiled attack on the Bharatiya Janta Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh without naming them: 8220;Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated not by an individual; but by an ideology that is again threatening to destabilise the nation. Mahatma8217;s non-violence principle was the only solution to counter the threat8221;.

She devoted a major portion of her speech recalling the views of her mother-in-law Indira and husband Rajiv.

8220;The Janata Party had tried to put my mother-in-law behind bars, it was from Gujarat that she mounted her counter-attack,8221; Sonia reminisced.