Sonia blasts BJP for all woes facing the nation

The Congress party president Sonia Gandhi yesterday launched a blistering attack on the rival BJP-led federal government, blaming it for all the ills facing the nation and seeking the support of voters for continuation of her party's government in the state.

Sonia, who launched her party's campaign formally by addressing a rally here, put in a lacklustre performance despite taking help from notes she was carrying. She kept the crowd of this steel city waiting for over an hour in the scorching heat, spoke for just 10 minutes, most of the time speaking on the golden past of the party she heads now.

She may have disappointed a big crowd that eagerly waited for her, but incumbent Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi converting sycophancy into a fine art and said polls in four Congress ruled states would pave the way for Sonia's installation as the country's next prime minister.

So pleased was Sonia that she broke the security protocol, moved to the buffer zone that was created between her dais and the crowd due to her high security risk status, came closer to the masses raising slogans in her favour and ended up virtually taking a victory lap.

But for the posters and banners put up at the venue, the impression given was that of a rally for the Lok Sabha polls with her party poised to win, although they may still be 11 months away.

Sonia criticised the BJP-led federal government for even the deaths due to hunger in states being ruled by her party.

Terming the BJP as a power hungry party, Sonia blamed it for soaring prices of essential commodities, suicide by farmers, disinvestment of loss-making public sector industries and creating unemployment after promising to create 10 million jobs in five years.

"Instead of giving an honest and able government that they had promised, what you have is a scandal a day. Ministers are caught taking bribe and yet they are being supported. The latest instance is of that person (Dilip Singh Judeo) who with the BJP's blessings wants to become chief minister of your state. This shows the BJP does not care for you. Don't commit the mistake of supporting the BJP," Sonia said in faltering Hindi.

Quite unlike her rallies, the crowd never clapped although some hardcore supporters of the party occupying the front rows continued raising slogans in her favour even as she spoke.

She promised to build more houses for the people of Bhilai and provide more drinking water and electricity "after elections", without explaining why these could not be achieved during the past three years by her party's government.