CP's Visit

CONGRESS WILL PUT HARYANA BACK ON GROWTH PATH - SONIA GANDHI

Sonia Gandhi Accuses Chautala, Sons of Graft

BAWAL (HARYANA): While campaigning for the Haryana Assembly polls on 28 January, the Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, brought the Haryana Chief Minister, Shri Om Prakash Chautala and his two politician sons, Ajay and Abhay, into the line of fire, accusing them of unleashing a reign of unleashing a reign of terror and corruption. Addressing an election meeting here, Smt. Gandhi alleged that Shri Chautala, Shri Ajay and Shri Abhay were responsible for the open corruption prevailing in Haryana. "Every citizen is living in fear and terror of the trio," Smt. Gandhi said. No Safety Smt. Gandhi said the Chautala Government was responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. "No one is safe since incidents of kidnapping, rape of women, and murder are common." Smt. Gandhi said the illegal mining of silica sand and stones were also on in the state even through the Supreme Court directive to stop mining had directed the state government to stop it. Farmers were reeling under debt and this led to suicides. Government employees, traders and other sections of the society were also disillusioned with the Chautala Government, she alleged. Earlier, addressing a rally at Nauthla village, Smt. Gandhi said: "If any Government starts giving protection to the criminal elements, then it is bound to result in deterioration of law and order in the State. The life and respect of the people does not remain safe in such a situation."

BHIWANI (Haryana): The Congress president,

Smt. Sonia Gandhi, on 29 January wrapped up her two-day campaign with a promise to put the State back on the path of development it witnessed under previous Congress regimes.

Having directed the fire against Haryana Chief Minister, Shri Om Prakash Chautala, and his sons during the election rallies on 28 January, Smt. Gandhi sought to underline how far they had drifted from the political philosophy of Lok Raj and Lok Laj (democracy and public shame), articulated by the Devi Lal.

Without invoking the name of the late revered Jat leader and father of Shri Chautala, Smt. Gandhi said the current generation had put on stake all values. She said Lok Laj meant not to do a thing which people would not accept and Lok Raj stood for public welfare without discrimination. "But in Haryana everything was being done to the contrary," she said in her public rally at Kirori Mal Park here.

`False cases'

The Congress president said the Haryana Government had turned repressive by foisting false cases against many people, including Congressmen who fought for justice and resisted atrocities or stood against corruption. "They [INLD] have forgotten the values taught by their leaders. A wave is blowing across the State to change the `zalim huqumat' (tyrannical regime), Smt. Gandhi said.

Though she did not attack the Bharatiya Janata Party, which supported the INLD Government for over four years, Smt. Gandhi criticized the previous national Democratic Alliance government. She said people rejected the BJP-led government that paved the way for the installation of the United Progressive Alliance government, whose foundation was not on power but on an agreed road map of policies and programmes.

Assurance to Farmers

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill was one of the measures the Government planned to tackle unemployment while other steps were being taken to improve healthcare and education.

Interesting, a huge portrait of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, shared space with those of Smt. Gandhi, the State Congress chief, Shri Bhajan Lal, and his son, Shri Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is the area MP. Sharing the stage were the AICC Secretary, Shri Vivek Bansal, and former Delhi MLA, Ms. Kiran Chaudhary, whose husband Surinder Singh is a candidate from Tosham.

In her address at Narwana, Smt. Gandhi gave an assurance to the Bharatiya Kisan Union leader, Shri Ghasi Ram Nain, who was sitting in the VIP enclosure, that the Congress, if voted to power in the State, would not only do its utmost to solve the grievances of the farming community but also the cases of sedition registered by the Chautala Government against farmers would be withdrawn.