The Hindu : Sonia, Pawar share dais

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 02, 2004

National

National

Sonia, Pawar share dais

By Arunkumar Bhatt

SOLAPUR (MAHARASHTRA), APRIL 1. About four and half years after expelling Sharad Pawar and his associates from the Congress on the issue of her foreign origin, the party president, Sonia Gandhi, shared the platform at the first campaign meeting of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party here today. She declared that she had compromised with the situation to save the country.

Ms. Gandhi told a meeting of the Congress-led alliance — which includes the NCP, RPI faction of Mr. Athavale and the Janata Dal(S) in Maharashtra — that the coming together was unlike the BJP-led NDA which was only for acquiring power.

She alleged that the Government, which was founded on selfish interests, corruption and injustice, could never work in people's interest and justice and the time had come to ``throw them out.'' Without naming the BJP, she said, ``these are the people who kept themselves away from the freedom struggle. One could hide one's real face behind a mask but the reality would come forth in due course.''

She said that the NDA Government was unsuccessful on every count and no economic progress took place during its rule. The NDA Government's coming to power was an obstacle to the Congress-initiated development efforts, she said.

Mr. Pawar, however, did not refer to why he had joined hands with Ms. Gandhi after denouncing her as a foreigner but attacked the NDA Government for advancing the general elections though several States, including Maharashtra reeled under severe drought.

He said that Mr. Vajpayee was only guided by the interests of his party that had won elections in three States.

He alleged that the Centre was treating Maharashtra in a step-motherly manner.

While a neighbouring State got 40-lakh tonnes of foodgrains for drought, Maharashtra got only 2.8 lakh tonnes and while the State Government demanded Rs. 1,700 crores to fight the scarcity, the Centre provided only Rs. 50 crores.

Mr. Pawar alleged that the sugar cooperatives had suffered a severe setback and an unprecedented number of farmers had committed suicide.

He said that the public sector units raised during the rule of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, were being sold off and the Ministry of Industry had been replaced by the Ministry of Disinvestment. He said that the industrialisation was rolling back rendering lakhs of workers jobless.

The meeting was largely attended by the supporters of the RPI. Ms. Gandhi called upon the audience to vote for the Congress nominee in Solapur, Ujwala Shinde, wife of the Chief Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde and Shivraj Patil in Latur, the NCP nominee, Lakshmanrao Dhobale in Osmanabad and the RPI leader, Ramdas Athavale in Pandharpur. All the candidates were present.

Earlier, during the day Ms. Gandhi met gathering, particularly women, and delivered speeches.

At Tuljapur, she visited the famous temple of Bhavaniaai and prayed for the electoral success.

Later, at a public meeting her gesture was hailed as akin to that of Chhatrapati Shivaji who used to go to the same temple before launching a military campaign against the Mughals.

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