Congress President Sonia Gandhi at Raiganj (West Bengal), 22nd April 2014

Sonia Gandhi in West Bengal: Only Congress can give a secular government

Raiganj (WB): “We need a government which will work for all and take everyone together, forward. We need a government which believes on secular values. Only Congress can provide such a govt” said Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President and UPA Chairperson, while addressing a party election rally at Raiganj in West Bengal.
“This is election time every political parties are busy in it. But there are some parties, especially the BJP, whose prime motive is to level baseless allegations against Congress. They are crossing every limit to mislead the people” said the Congress President and added, “In order to grab Prime Minister post they are creating a buzz throughout the country. It seems they don’t have any interest in social, political and economical issues. To give them authority to run the country is a question of worry”.
Taking on the present Trinamool Congress government in the state, Sonia Gandhi said, “UPA govt. at the Centre had sanctioned an AIMS hospital for this state but earlier Left Front and the present TMC govt. failed to provide the land for it till date”. “Every person works hard for his family and saves money for a better future. But Chit-fund companies with help of state govt. have looted more than 18 lakh families. You know very well about the worsening law and order conditions in the state” she continued.
“Only unemployed people can understand the value of jobs. We do understand this issue and therefore, enacted MNREGA scheme which guarantees minimum 100 days employment in rural areas and it also curbs migration. If West Bengal govt. implemented these schemes properly then your people could have secured a job here itself. But sadly, whether it’s Left or TMC, both have neglected such development schemes” lamented Sonia Gandhi.
About the future plans of the Congress the party President informed, “We need to do implement many such projects to transform the livelihood of the poor. We, in our Manifesto, have promised Right to health, Right to shelter for every poor. We also plan to design pension schemes for senior citizens and physically disabled people. We will be establishing 2000 dedicated women police stations throughout the country and we also will ensure that 25% of the police persons are women. We also intend to provide technical training to youth and give them employment. We also will support small industries too. We need your support to implement these schemes”.
Sonia Gandhi urged the people to support Congress and elect party candidates for development of the country and welfare of the people.
Full text of speech of Sonia Gandhi at Raiganj, West Bengal

Sonia Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh takes on SP, BSP and BJP

Sonia Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh: Any ideology that spreads hatred is dangerous for the nation
Aonla: Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi took on SP, BSP and BJP while addressing a party election rally at Aonla in Uttar Pradesh as part of her ongoing campaign for the Lok Sabha polls.
“I feel very sad to see that some parties are trying to damage the rich culture of unity and togetherness. They try to destroy our tradition of unity in diversity and spread hatred among people for their narrow political gains. They try to divide the people in terms of caste, religion and community. Their ultimate aim is to grab power and only people can teach them a lesson”, urged Sonia Gandhi.
“Congress always tried to take every people, every section, together without any discrimination. We always gave special focus for the welfare of the weak and downtrodden. We made several policies for their upliftment. This is the difference between the Congress and its opponents. This is the differences between the Congress which delivers and our rivals which just talk big” argued the Congress President.
Taking on the opposition, Sonia Gandhi said further, “You have witnessed the anti-people regime of SP and BSP. You also are well aware about the divisive BJP politics. These parties spread hatred among the people in terms of caste and religion and make people fight each other. They are a threat to secularism. We must understand that peace is necessary of development of the country and welfare of the people. Any ideology that divides people and spreads hatred and disharmony is dangerous for the nation and its people”.
“So you must think properly and take a wise decision before voting. The need of the hour is to bring in a secular government and only the Congress party can provide the same for you. I am confident that the people will never support a divisive ideology and will never elect people who are promoting such dangerous politics. I am also sure that you will support the ideology of the Congress party and will give your valuable support to us” she appealed to the people.
While explaining various achievements of the Congress-led UPA government at the centre, the Congress leader continued, “Today, there are lots of talks on corruption and our opponents, who themselves are most corrupt, level baseless allegations against us (Congress) on it. But they forget that it was the Congress party which implemented RTI – the most powerful weapon to fight graft. Every citizen can legally gather any information regarding government functioning. It is the Congress, which enacted Right to Education to ensure free education for all children upto 14 years of age. To fight poverty and malnutrition, we implemented Food Security scheme... For the benefits of our soldiers, we implemented one-ran-one-pension scheme. We also framed stringent laws to curb atrocities against women. All these policies by the UPA government are aimed at empowering our people and to make them self reliant”.
Sonia Gandhi urged the people to make a right choice and to elect Congress candidates in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
Full text of the speech by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Aonla, Uttar Pradesh