Ujjain: Launching her party’s poll campaign in Madhya Pradesh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said the BJP government in the State had failed miserably.

“The Congress always struggled for development while they have been playing politics in the name of religion. Politics is a medium of development and not destruction,” she said addressing a kisan rally in the temple town of Malwa. It was her maiden rally in the Malwa region, which accounts for 72 of the 230 seats in the State.

Assailing the BJP for vitiating social atmosphere in the State, Ms. Gandhi said atrocities on weaker sections had increased while social amity deteriorated.

There was too much corruption in implementation of centrally-sponsored schemes, she said.

On the hike in the prices of petroleum products, she said the Centre was compelled to raise the prices owing to the increase in international crude prices. The BJP-led NDA government too had raised prices of petroleum products several times.

On rising inflation, she urged State governments to act firmly against black marketeers and profiteers. Madhya Pradesh received Rs. 6,000 crore as central assistance during 2007-08 compared to less than Rs. 3,000 crore during the entire NDA regime, Ms. Gandhi said.

Before kick-starting the Congress campaign here, ahead of the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections due later this year, party president Sonia Gandhi on Friday worshipped at the Mahakal temple, seat of one of the 12 jyotirlingas in the country.

She was accompanied by PCC chief Suresh Pachouri. During her campaign in Maharashtra on Thursday, Ms. Gandhi visited the Sai Baba temple at Shirdi, coinciding with the 38th birthday of her son and AICC general secretary, Rahul Gandhi.

Ms. Gandhi said she would offer a swarna kalash (golden pot) to the temple, head priest Pradeep Guru told reporters. — PTI

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