Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi
on Wednesday urged the supporters to work together to build a new Gujarat while
keeping its traditions intact.
Addressing a massive rally of farmers in Rajkot Sonia Gandhi
posed several questions to the state government for the woes of the
underprivileged in the state and made a fervent appeal to help the Congress in
building a 'new Gujarat'. The Congress President said that Congress was behind
the state's enviable growth in industries, petrochemicals and textiles and even
now the UPA government had given to Gujarat 50 per cent more funds for its
development than the then BJP-led NDA government at the centre. "Our
opponents can't see this development and speak negatively and hence the people
are not able to realize the truth” she added.
Giving an example, Sonia Gandhi said that the Sardar Sarovar
Narmada Scheme was devised by Congress leaders and named after Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel, the brave son of
Gujarat. But under the BJP rule, the Narmada waters had still not
reached the people of Saurashtra. Sonia said: "The farmers here are
suffering due to lack of water. I want to ask as to why the Narmada water has
not reached the farmers of Saurashtra in the last 10 years."
The UPA Chairperson blasted the BJP for disrupting
parliament proceedings saying "they are not against corruption but they
are against us". Sonia also defended the recent hike in diesel prices
saying that the Centre procured 80 per cent of crude oil from abroad and its
price had risen from $32 per barrel during the NDA rule in 2004 to $140 now.
"Therefore, whenever international prices go up, we have to bear it
resulting in hike in petroleum products", she explained but went on to
point out that the rate of value-added tax was the highest in Gujarat”.
The Congress president said that the UPA government had
given rights to poor tribals to acquire land but in Gujarat this right was not
given. Referring to the recent death of three Dalits in police fiiring in
Saurashtra, Sonia also said that Dalits got bullets when they sought justice
and Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideals were insulted. She spoke about the plight of
farmers and women and blamed the Gujarat government for its failure to appoint
the lokayukta.
This article
is posted by pressbrief.in
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