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Sonia sounds poll bugle, attacks Karnataka govt

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday pulled no punches in attacking the ruling BJP in the state as she sounded the poll bugle for the forthcoming assembly elections at the latter’s stronghold.

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Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday pulled no punches in attacking the ruling BJP in the state as she sounded the poll bugle for the forthcoming assembly elections at the latter’s stronghold.

While addressing a workers meeting here, she urged the electorate to question the ruling BJP on various issues before casting their votes. “Ask them what did they did with the `80,000 crore they got from the central government in the last five years.

“Ask them why they have not increased the annual quota of subsidised LPG cylinders to nine from six. Ask them why they did not reduce the Value Added Tax on diesel and petrol, when all the Congress-ruled state governments have done it,” she said.
Regarding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail sector, she pointed out that it was first proposed by the BJP-led National Development Alliance (NDA). But now the same BJP and NDA were opposing it, she added.

Sonia said that since the exit of NDA, the UPA has added value to the FDI proposal, where the farmers and consumers will get goods and essential commodities at the right prices. The ‘direct linkage’ provided to the farmers will make the goods cheaper for the consumer, while the growers and manufacturers too will also get a good price, she said.

Why no VAT relief on petrol?
As for petroleum prices she said, “We or any other oil importing countries do not have much control over the global oil prices, so we have to take timely steps to counter fluctuations in the international market prices. We import 80% of our requirements from oil producing countries. The prices had increased from $60 a barrel to $140 in a short time.” But she pointed out that the state governments can do some price adjustments by reducing VAT on petroleum products to give some relief to the consumers. “All Congress ruled states have done it already,” she asserted.

Rs700-cr drought aid by Centre
The Congress president said that BJP should not accuse the central government for everything. “My colleagues tell me that they have started accusing the central government by saying that the state was reeling under a drought and there was no help from the centre. We have already released `700 crore towards the drought management,” she said.

She pointed out that in the last five years the UPA government has given the state `80,000 crore, whereas while the NDA was in power the state got only `30,000 crore.

“So the BJP leaders should stop pointing at us and use the money for the welfare of the people,” she said.

Calls for party unity
Giving a call to the workers to get ready for the state assembly elections, the AICC president urged the party leaders to sink differences and listen to grassroot level workers.
“At this juncture the leaders should listen to the aspirations of the baseline workers as they are the people who reach out to the voters at the grass roots level.” She said the Congress should tap the anger of voters against BJP regime’s corruption and nepotism and convert it to votes. “This time around in Karnataka, it will be an election for change,” she observed.

Recalling the unstinted support the voters in coastal areas had given to Indira Gandhi in 1977, Sonia Gandhi said, “The Congress workers and leaders should bring back the same kind of confidence levels among the voters for the party and leaders should ensure unity and solidarity. Remember we have always won when our leaders were united.”

BJP stalled Lok Pal bill
The Congress president said the BJP leaders were accusing UPA of corruption. But it was the UPA and Congress that brought Right to Information. When the UPA wanted to bring Lok Pal, who stalled the parliamentary proceedings? It was the BJP and its allies, she remarked. Corruption is a cancer to the society and it has to be rooted effectively by legislation and executive action, she added.

Communal amity ruined
Sonia said Karnataka had rich secular traditions and Dakshina Kannada was well known for amity between various communities.
“But look what the BJP and the communal forces have done? They have torn the communities apart by promoting a hate campaign and destroyed the social fibre,” she said and urged the Congress party workers to bring back communal amity.

“Let us got to the assembly elections with a community re-united, having secular feelings at heart,” she said.

The Congress president assured that local issues such as yellow leaf disease at the areca plantations and poverty alleviation programmes in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts will be given more attention in the coming weeks. “When I go back to Delhi I shall study the problems and take suitable steps,” she said.

Earlier Congress leaders S Siddaramaiah and G Parameshwar appealed to her to intervene in the Cauvery river water sharing row with Tamil Nadu and help find a permanent solution. AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, Union minister for corporate affairs and power M Veerappa Moily, Union minister for labour Mallikarjuna Kharge, former chief minister N Dharam Singh and former MP B Janardhana Poojary were present.

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