After the mother of Kargil martyr captain Vikram Batra, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is next to accuse Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi of insulting the hero by stealing his 1999 war cry, "Ye dil maange more", for a political slogan.
Addressing a huge gathering at Dhalpur Ground in Kullu on Sunday afternoon in favor of Congress candidate Pratibha Singh, Sonia said Modi, who could offend a martyr and the country's sentiments when he had only a prime ministerial ambition, would be a danger to India's peace and unity if got the post. "Unka dil sirf kursi maang raha hai (his heart wants only the chair)," she remarked.
Terming the Gujarat model of development a baseless projection, she said Modi's state had gone into heavy debt under his leadership. "About 40% of its population requires potable water, while every second child up to the age of five is malnourished," claimed Sonia.
Terming the BJP a "false promise party", she said people who earned `11 a day in Gujarat were considered above the poverty line. "When the BJP was in power, corruption rules and development was stalled. In remote villages, there were no school; and where schools were, there was no teacher," the Congress leader added.
She accused the BJP of dividing people on the basis of caste and religion. "The Congress worked hard to benefit the people at grass-roots level with welfare schemes such as free education up to the age 14, free midday meal in schools, and credit card to farmers; and new laws such as the Right to Information (RTI) Act," said Sonia.
{{/usCountry}}She accused the BJP of dividing people on the basis of caste and religion. "The Congress worked hard to benefit the people at grass-roots level with welfare schemes such as free education up to the age 14, free midday meal in schools, and credit card to farmers; and new laws such as the Right to Information (RTI) Act," said Sonia.
{{/usCountry}}She claimed the United Progressive Alliance-2 regime had enacted laws to ensure the safety of women and benefit soldiers (one rank, one pension). Appreciating the work of the state government, she said chief minister Virbhadra Singh had put development on fast track. She sought comprehensive victory for all four Congress candidates in the May 7 Lok Sabha contest in the state.
Accompanying her were Congress leader Rajeev Shukla, chief minister Virbhadra Singh; union minister of commerce and industry Anand Sharma; state Congress president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu; health minister Kaul Singh Thakur; and party candidate Pratibha Singh.
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Unka dil sirf kursi maang raha hai (his heart wants only the chair) Sonia Gandhi, Congress president