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It is important to listen to all viewpoints: Sonia

New York: United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi has sought to play down the Left concerns over the India-U.S. nuclear deal, saying these were not a cause for “alarm.”

“Some time a great deal is made in [the] public domain of the opinions expressed by our friends, who support our coalition, but this should not alarm you,” the Congress president said addressing a gathering of over 2,000 Indian-Americans on Monday evening.

“We believe that it is important to listen to all points of view because we believe that this only strengthens the democratic process and the process to arrive at consensus.”

Calling for a concerted fight against terrorism, Ms. Gandhi stressed the need to ensure that no community felt targeted. Paying tributes to the way the people of New York rebuilt their lives after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, she said India had been confronting this scourge for a very long time.

Mahatma Gandhi fell to the bullets of a fanatic, and Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were also victims of terrorism.

“What is remarkable is the resilience of [the] people and how these attacks have not succeeded in damaging the bonds of social harmony in our society.”

Terrorism in the name of religion was the negation of all that every religion stood for — “peace, compassion and understanding.” That brought out the need to fight the scourge but “at the same time, it is necessary to ensure that no community feels under siege or sees itself as a target of automatic suspicion,” Ms. Gandhi said.

“The philosophy of the Congress party is to respect all religions but at the same time to fight fundamentalism and communalism of every shade,” she told the meeting organised by the Indian National Overseas Congress.

A coalition government was a new experience for the Congress but “we have adapted well.” While drawing up the Common Minimum Programme, the Congress had not compromised on its basic values and principles. The programme was largely derived from the Congress’ own manifesto.

Praising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his initiatives, Ms. Gandhi said the country’s economic growth was one of the highest in the world. The government was taking steps to ensure that prosperity percolated to the poorest. The new prosperity was opening up new opportunities.

But many regions were lagging behind and, in keeping with the Congress promises, special efforts were being made to improve the quality of life of the most disadvantaged. In this context, she referred to agriculture, which needed to be revitalised; therefore, the government made a huge allocation to support it.

Ms. Gandhi, who is here to address the United Nations General Assembly on the occasion of its declaring October 2 the International Day of Non-Violence in a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, said a far-reaching rural employment guarantee programme had been launched. And, “we have new legislation for social security for workers in the unorganised sector,” which accounted for 90 per cent of the work force.

Welcoming the huge remittances by Indians abroad, which were a major source of strength to the economy, Ms. Gandhi, however, warned the people present that they should be more careful while funding non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

While appreciating the philanthropic spirit of the Indian-Americans in funding NGOs working in the fields of education and rural development, she said not all of them were noble in their intentions and transparent in their activities.

Those sending money should ensure that they did not fund those who damaged the country’s secular structure. — PTI

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