Sonia flays BJP, Third Front in first poll speech

The Congress party officially kick-started its election 2009 campaign on Monday with party President Sonia Gandhi inaugurating the Bharat Nirmaan campaign before a mammoth crowd in Davangere, Karnataka.

Delivering the inaugural address before a crowd that spanned up to nearly 2 lakh people, Sonia Gandhi criticised both the Bharatiya Janata Party and also the newly-formed Third Front.

Taking a dig at the Third Front, Congress supermo said it is incapable of running a country. There are so many parties in the Third Front and it appears that they have more Prime Ministerial candidates.

On BJP's governance, Sonia said the saffron party aims at splitting the general public and their policies are not people-based.  How do you tolerate them, Sonia questioned.  

'The time has come to make a decision. The people will either have to vote for the Congress, which will ensure more development, or side with the BJP which prefers running a government on money power only,' she said.

Patting the back of her own government, she praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said that he had provided good governance. The rest of the parties have focused more on their personal gains but the Congress has only worked for the people, Sonia said.

The Congress president also sent out a clear message to the people by saying that if voted into power, the main focus would be on the farmer since they are the lifeline of the country. She also reminded the public of the loan waiver programme of the United Progressive Alliance.

On the very important issue of national security, Sonia said the Congress is committed to make India a safe country. We have challenges before us and be assured that we will address all these concerns, she said.

Once again she took a dig at the BJP, which has been criticising the Congress on this issue, and said that her party did not believe in 'taking hardcore criminals as guests in a plane and dropping them off at Afghanistan'.

Sonia, in her 15 minute and hurried address, also urged the people of Karnataka in particular to vote for her party as she felt that the BJP in the state had divided the people.

Karnataka has been placed on the world map thanks to Information Technology, but look at what the BJP is doing today. Look at the commotion and look at the manner in which people have been divided. Is this what you people want? I feel sorry to think that such things are happening in a state in which the great Saint Basavanna once lived, she said.