BANGALORE : As she formally welcomed former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah and the All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) into the Congress fold at a rally on Palace Grounds on Sunday, AICC president Sonia Gandhi wasted no time in calling upon the rank and file of the party to prepare to bring the Congress back to power in the State.

Ms. Gandhi said though the party had lost power after the betrayal by its erstwhile ally H.D. Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular), the loser was Karnataka and its people.

Ms. Gandhi announced that a special package for farmers, along the lines of the one announced for Maharashtra, would soon be unveiled for the State.

The Congress leadership in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka had given the feedback on the grave situation of debt-ridden farmers committing suicide and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) would be responsive, Ms. Gandhi told the around two-lakh strong gathering.

Denies charge

As for the Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition Government's allegation that the Union Government was not responding to the havoc caused by floods in the six northern districts of Karnataka, Ms. Gandhi said the State had never before received such generous aid, and the allegations were "baseless." Ms. Gandhi reminded the Janata Dal (Secular) that though the UPA Government had chosen Bangalore for its Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for getting state-of-the-art infrastructure, the State Government was dragging its feet on submitting its plans.

This was unfortunate as the Centre now planned to bring Hubli-Dharwad under JNNURM, she said adding that the Centre had cleared the prestigious ONGC petrochemical complex for Mangalore.

Outlining the strategy for reclaiming the Congress party's lost ground and ousting the current "scam-ridden" coalition in the State, Ms. Gandhi said: "You saw what happened seven months ago, and the unholy alliance that the Janata Dal (Secular) chose to strike with the communal BJP, and you are witness to all the scandals and allegations that the Janata Dal (Secular) is facing, from its own partner."

"We must speed up our work and strengthen the party at the grassroots," she said.

"I see that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme [NREGS] is not doing very well in this State. I expect Congress workers to monitor its implementation closely and ensure that the funds meant to reach the rural poor as wages are not diverted or misused."

The youth, women and the various cells and committees of the party must assiduously work to create awareness about the plans and programmes of the UPA as well as of the Congress, Ms. Gandhi said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail