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BJP wears Mahatma's mask to hide its ugly face: Sonia

Manas Dasgupta

Accuses Gujarat Government of not implementing UPA Government-sponsored people's welfare schemes

Ms. Gandhi takes aim with a bow and arrow.

GODHRA (Gujarat): Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched the party's election campaign for the State Assembly elections on Saturday lambasting the Bharatiya Janata Party as the most "non-trustworthy party" having worn the "mask" of Mahatma Gandhi to hide its "real ugly and unpatriotic face."

She said it was the "biggest insult" to the Father of the Nation that the most communal party took the Mahatma's name to project itself as a nationalist and patriotic party.

Addressing a rally in the hamlet of Devgadh-Baria in the tribal-dominated Dahod district in central Gujarat, Ms. Gandhi, without naming Narendra Modi, strongly criticised the State Government for not implementing the United Progressive Alliance Government-sponsored people's welfare schemes and touting the projects as the State's own.

She asked the Congressmen and the people in general to function as watchdogs to see that the welfare schemes were properly implemented and the benefits reached the poor and not siphoned off to other sections.

Enumerating the welfare schemes launched by the Centre after the Congress-led UPA Government came to power, she said the BJP since it came to power in Gujarat in 1995 refused to implement the Act to give forest land holding rights to tribal dwellers. Now that the Centre had further liberalised the measure, more tribals would get the benefits of the central scheme if it was properly implemented.

Ms. Gandhi expressed concern at the rise in prices of essential commodities but blamed the State Government for it. She said the aim of the Government was to ensure remunerative prices to farmers for their produce and make essential commodities available to consumers at affordable prices. But the twin objective could be achieved only if there was proper co-ordination between the Central and the State Governments. She said the UPA Government was doing its best to hold the price line and provide relief to the people.

— Photos: AP

BRACING FOR POLLS: Giant-sized cutouts of political leaders are seen in the backdrop, as a huge congregation of tribals listens to Congress president Sonia Gandhi at a rally in Devgadh-Baria in Gujarat on Saturday.

Making a passing reference to the 2002 communal riots in the State, she criticised the Government for the `deteriorating' law and order situation claiming that offences against women were on the rise. The BJP, she said, had no love for the poor and the party could not be trusted to take welfare measures for the weaker sections.

`No discrimination'

Refuting the Modi Government's criticism of the UPA Government as being step-motherly to Gujarat, the Congress president said the Centre had never discriminated against any State on political grounds. Gujarat like all other States had been given a fair share of the Central assistance due to it but the State Government, not implementing the projects, was depriving the people of the benefits.

She complimented her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, who, she said, was ridiculed by the opponents when he dreamt of making India prosperous in the 21st century. "Now his dream has come true and because of the steps initiated by him India made a niche for itself in the world," she said.

Earlier, Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Waghela ridiculed Mr. Modi for demanding that the Centre "exempt" the interest component of the loans given for the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam project. A former Chief Minister, Mr. Waghela, said Mr. Modi apparently did not even know how the funds were mobilised for the dam project. He said there was no question of the Centre exempting the interest on loans because the Rs. 4,000 crore it provided for the project was given as outright grants and not as loan and the Centre could exempt interest on loans taken from the people as bonds or from co-operative banks.

He said if anyone was to be given credit for the Narmada dam project, it was Rajiv Gandhi, who as Prime Minister gave the environmental clearance against all odds.

He said if Mr. Modi had any concern for the welfare of the tribals, he could have made better use of the huge funds he was "wasting every year on personal propaganda in the name of vibrant Gujarat summits," instead of asking the Centre to give exemption on the non-existent interest component.

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