Sonia Gandhi calls on MPs to get ready for polls

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday called on her MPs to get ready to face polls  “with confidence, professionalism and enthusiasm”.The statement was immediately taken by the BJP as her admission that prime minister Manmohan Singh’s government was not going to last long.

Just an hour before DMK chief M Karunanidhi declared withdrawal of support to the UPA government, Sonia also spoke about the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils, expressing anguish at reports of unspeakable atrocities on innocent civilians and children, especially during the last days of conflict in 2009. “These reports cannot go un-investigated. That is why we demand for an independent and credible inquiry into the violation of human rights in Sri Lanka,” she said.

She also took on the BJP  for obstruction in Parliament and deliberate falsehood spread outside. Sonia also decried its use of “intemperate and abusive language about our party and leaders going beyond the pale of civilised discussion and debate”. On Jammu and Kashmir, she talked of economic development gathering space, tourism flourishing and many training and placement programmes started, but at the same time she said: “Yet, we should take note of the cry of pain and anguish emanating from some sections of society there.”

She pointed out that the Right to Fair Compensation in Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resetlement Bill is “truly historic” and it will benefit landowners and landless significantly and empower the tribal communities. The National Food Security Bill is a key commitment from the 2009 manifesto of the Congress, she said, pointing out that “it will free our people from hunger, our children from malnutrition and ensure that no one starves in our country.”

@DNA