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Sonia says attacks on her family have crossed limits of decency
After Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's attacks on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi joined her daughter in hitting out at the BJP leadership in Rae Bareli on Saturday.
After Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's attacks on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi joined her daughter in hitting out at the BJP leadership in Rae Bareli on Saturday.
Without naming them, she said the saffron brigade's leaders thrived on lies, but lies could not bring about development.
Read:Throw out those who tap women's phones, says Priyanka Gandhi in dig at Modi
"Yeh jhooth ke pujari hain (They worship lies). Jhooth inke rag rag main bhara hai (telling lies is in their blood) but telling lies cannot bring about development," she said while addressing a rally at the government college ground in her Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency.
Sonia Gandhi said her family was being targeted in various ways, but added that "I have, however, left to the people of the country and my Rae Bareli family to respond to these attacks."
She was apparently referring to yoga guru Baba Ramdev's comments about Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to the effect that he goes to houses of Dalits for "picnics and honeymoon".
Ramdev later claimed that his comment was misinterpreted adding he never meant to demean the community. An FIR has also been lodged against the yoga guru, who is supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party this elections, in Lucknow earlier in the day for his comment.
Read:Ramdev says 'honeymoon' remark on Rahul 'misinterpreted', apologises
"The BJP leaders are hungry for power. They can do everything to gain power," Sonia Gandhi alleged.
Sonia Gandhi also said the attacks on her family had crossed the limits of decency, saying their words and thoughts were vulgar and humiliating.
They "did not feel ashamed" in launching attacks at such vulgar levels, she noted.
Striking an emotional chord with the people of her constituency, Sonia said she had old family ties with the people in Rae Bareli.
"You have extended all your support under all the circumstances. It is with your support that we could fight for you," she said.
She listed various development projects that included revival of ITIs and setting up of various educational institutions, including the women university in the name of her mother-in-law, late prime minister Indira Gandhi, besides rail coach factory and AIIMS to make her point about what had been done for the constituency.
She also listed achievements of the UPA government and the schemes that had been mentioned in the Congress manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
"You had contested my earlier election. You are contesting this election too," she added.
Read:Rahul leads bachelor’s life out of compulsion, says Ramdev
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