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Modi's charge against Sonia

By Aarti Dhar

BHILAI (Chhattisgarh) Nov. 19. The Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, has alleged that the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, held a ``secret meeting'' with Christian missionaries in October. ``Ms. Gandhi will have to tell the people whether she attended the conclave and was it related to the elections,'' he said at an election rally here today.

This was the first blatant attempt to rouse religious sentiments in Chhattisgarh where conversion is an important election issue and the Bharatiya Janata Party has always accused the Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, of being an ``agent'' of the Pope. When the BJP released its election manifesto for the State today, it said it would give more teeth to the anti-conversion law and lay stress on better implementation.

The manifesto also promises a free cow to all tribal families to improve their economic status.

This was apparently an answer to the decision of the Congress Government headed by Mr. Jogi to give free land for the construction of cow shelters.

Mr. Modi made a scathing attack on Mr. Jogi and said ``he did not deserve to be even a municipal councillor.''

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