‘BJP soft on saffron terror’

An unusually combative Sonia Gandhi hit out strongly at the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government during her first foray into the election campaign in Rajasthan, which goes to the polls on December 4, reports Dharmendra Jore.

An unusually combative Sonia Gandhi hit out strongly at the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government during her first foray into the election campaign in Rajasthan, which goes to the polls on December 4.

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Addressing an enthusiastic crowd at Jhunjhunu, a dusty district town 180 km north of Jaipur, she accused the BJP of being soft on saffron terror, and the state government of mismanagement and corruption while using central funds for development schemes.

The charges were similar to those she had made against the BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh earlier in the month as well.

“I’m sorry to tell you the BJP government did not utilise the money the Centre sent for developmental schemes,” she said. “Rampant corruption in the past five years has deprived you of many benefits you would have otherwise got.”

Sonia made no direct reference to the Malegaon blasts or to the spirited defence by the BJP of those arrested for it.

But she noted that while the Congress opposed terrorism by one and all, the BJP was selective. “The Congress is against terrorism, no matter what the religion of the people responsible for it,” she said. “But the BJP has always compromised with terrorism.”