Speech

A New Era, A New Generation our Aim
- Sonia Gandhi

Congress President's address at a pubic meeting at Shivaji Maidan, Mumbai, on Dec. 27

Appointments Following appointments were made on 14 January, 2004 and come into immediate effect : The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Shri Motilal Vora, M.P. as President of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee. The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Shri Charan Das Mahant, M.P. as Working President of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee. The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Shri Narain Singh, MLA, as President of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee in place of Dr. Girija Vyas who has resigned. The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Shri B.D. Kalla, MLA as Leader of Rajasthan State Congress Legislative Party . The Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Shri J.B. Patnaik, as President of Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee.

I thank all of you for coming to this historic Maidan in large numbers from far off places. This Maidan is associated with the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Remembering his name fills every Indian's heart with pride. Maharashtra is the land of great souls like Sant Gyaneshwar, Namdev and Tukaram. This is the land of social reformers like Shahuji Maharaj, Jyotiba and Savitri Phule. This is the land of great people like Dadabhai Naoroji, Ferozeshah Mehta and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. In this very place Lokmanya Tilak gave the call : "Independence is my birth right." This land is the birthplace of Dr. Ambedkar, who symbolizes social justice. Here great leaders like Yashwantrao Chavan, V.P. Nayak and Vasantdada Patil were born, for whom we have great reverence in our hearts.

Today this meeting is being held on a special occasion. Tomorrow, the Indian National Congress will complete 118 years of its existence. The Congress was born in Mumbai and the last and the biggest movement of the freedom struggle, which we all know as the "Quit India" movement, was launched from here.

No other political party can match the Congress. The Congress has created a history that cannot be erased. It was Congress that got the independence for the country, established democracy and developed a new nation after independence. When our constitution got ready, Dr. Ambedkar himself had said in the Constituent Assembly that all this was possible only due to the Congress.

The Congress had laid the foundation and built the structure of all-round development and progress that India has made. Today, the people who are trying to raise slogan of five years versus 50 years should honestly search their conscience and ask due to whom India has reached this stage? The Congress has tied the entire country with a thread of unity and implemented policies and programmes for the welfare of all sections of society. We made fast progress in the fields of science, technology and education. Adequate security arrangements had been made for the country. It was Congress which launched the space and atomic programmes for the welfare of the people. It was Congress that made the country self-dependent in the field of agriculture. Industries in public and private sectors were established so that crores of people could earn their livelihood. Now these industries and factories are being closed or being sold at throw-away prices in the states ruled by the BJP and its allies. For example, this can be seen in and around Mumbai.

For the poor, the biggest problem is of employment. Steps should be taken to re-employ the people who have become jobless due to closure of industries and factories. New opportunities should be created for employment. A lot of work has to be done in regard to basic facilities like electricity, water and medical aid.

The biggest problem now-a-days is that every problem is seen through the eyes of politics. What is this politics anyway? When political leaders and workers go before the people they project sweet dreams before them and when their purpose is served they only look after their own vested interests instead of serving the people. I do not have faith in such type of politics. Image of politics should not be allowed to deteriorate further. There is a need to make the people aware about BJP, which compares the Congress party's fifty-year-rule to that of the BJP's five-year-rule, that it was Congress which has taken the country to the heights of progress during its fifty-year-rule but the BJP has brought the country to the brink of disaster during its five-year-rule. Who does not know that the present BJP government at the Centre, is the government of unemployment and joblessness. There was no such unemployment and joblessness during the Congress' rule. In their (BJP's) rule, inflation has reached such a level that it has become difficult for the commonman to make both ends meet. How difficult it is to run a family, nobody knows better than my sisters. Our farmers know very well the hardships they had faced and are facing now due to anti-farmers policy of the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre. Due to this, hundreds of our farmers were faced to commit suicide which never happened earlier in free-India. In their (BJP's) rule, terrorism has increased, social discrimination has increased, communalism has increased, corruption has broken all limits. There is frustration and desperation all-around.

There was a time, India's voice was so powerful that everybody had to hear it. Now, India's voice is not that powerful in the world due to the BJP's foreign policy. Before the world, this Central Government is not strong enough, it is a government of weaknesses. Politics is not for any individual. Society is above any individual and the country is above society. Any sacrifice made for the Indian society and for our country is small. One who dies for the country becomes immortal. The examples of Mahatama Gandhi, Indiraji and Rajivji are fresh even today in the minds and hearts of all the people.

As far as Mumbai is concerned, this is not only a big metropolis, this is not only the capital of Maharashtra, this is a miniature India, where every Indian's heart beat is heard. There must be something special about this land due to which it has become the commercial capital. This metropolis is a place of pilgrimage and more so for the Congress because the Congress was born here. For me, Mumbai has a special significance because Rajivji was born here. I want to ask Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to continue to struggle to solve all your problems as per the dream of Rajivji. An opportunity to form the government is an opportunity to serve the public. We should not miss the opportunity. One who serves more will get more strength.

We have to take special care for the expectations and dreams of the youth. Whenever a Congress government is formed at the Centre we will first of all pay special attention to the education of the youth, specially technology and science education, pay maximum attention to job-oriented education, whose beginning was made by Rajivji. Our priority will be to eliminate unemployment and joblessness. Instead of paying attention to this problem, the Central Government, led by BJP, has worked only to present distorted version of history in text books of schools and colleges. The future of the country will not be made, the future of the youth will not be made by poisoning their heart and soul.

Now-a-days, keeping in mind the next General Election, the BJP and its allies, as per their strategy, have started heating the market of rumours. In order to conceal their blunders and misdeeds, they blame the Congress. By using this strategy of repeating the lies again and again, the BJP hopes people might start believing it as true. It is not like this. Can fact be ever concealed? I can say with confidence that truth always comes out victorious. We should never bother about what they say. All of us should present the truth again and again before the people.

You know, the Congress has never compromised with the destructive policies of the BJP. That is why, in the interests of the country, a process is on to form an alliance with like-minded parties not only in Maharashtra, but also in some other states where Congress' coalition govts are functioning. Like BJP, a political alliance should not be for self-interest and chair. A coalition and an alliance is formed in the interest of the country, in the interest of society and in the interest of the poor and the weak. An alliance can only be called proper if its foundation is of policies and ideology. Whatever alliance the Congress forms will be in your interest and in the interest of the country.

Brothers and sisters, in an election, victory and defeat are part of the game, but in the new century the country has to move forward. I know that the passage is long, it is difficult and the destination is not easy. But this is also true that the people get to their destination who never accept defeat, whose courage is not diminished and who always struggle for the truth. The Congress will not retreat. We do not need anything more, we only need your support and cooperation. This is the true strength of the Congress. On this strength, we will make impossible possible. We have to build the future of a new generation in the new century, make new history of the country and with this pledge, together we will reach at our destination.

I convey my good wishes of new year to all of you and I thank all of you for coming here and I specially thank my colleagues and workers, who worked hard day and night to make this public meeting successful.