The Hindu : National : Manmohan will be PM again: Rahul

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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Manmohan will be PM again: Rahul

Special Correspondent

CHANDIGARH: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday expressed the confidence that the United Progressive Alliance would come to power again, and asserted that Manmohan Singh will be the next Prime Minister.

Hours before campaign for the final phase of the polls ended, Mr. Gandhi said at a public rally in Amritsar that Dr. Singh as the “Pride of Punjab as well as India.”

People were looking for another term for Dr. Singh as they were confident that he would lead the country in diverse spheres. “He shall lead the country. Let there be no doubts about it,” Mr. Gandhi said.

This was the third visit to Punjab by the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi clan, during the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

It was for the first time he shared the stage with Dr. Singh, who has memories of his younger days in the “holy city” after the family migrated there following the Partition.

With its commitment towards farmers, Dalits and underprivileged sections of society, Mr. Gandhi said the UPA performed according to its mandate of welfare of the “aam aadmi.” under the leadership of Dr. Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the government successfully implemented the NREGA, Right to Information Act, Rs. 70,000 crore waiver of farmers’ loans and mid-day meal scheme for school children.

Mr. Gandhi lashed out at the NDA, reminding them about the failure of their ‘India Shining’ slogan.

He said the NDA, which had sought the development of a privileged few, had actually ignored the plight of farmers, Dalits, women and economically depressed sections of society.

The Congress leader also sought to remind the NDA leaders that it was because of the strength and vision of Dr. Singh that India’s head stayed above water in the global economic recession.

While there was slowdown across the world, India continued grow as an economy, he asserted.

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