Don’t elect ‘a big liar’ as PM, says Sonia

Ranchi: In one of her strongest attacks on BJP star Narendra Modi,Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday asked people not to elect “a big liar” as the country’s next prime minister.

Without taking Modi’s name, Gandhi told an election rally in Jharkhand that some opposition leaders were selling dreams, as if “they will change everything in one day with a magic wand”.
“Will the country chose a prime minister a person who will be a big liar?” she said at Ramgarh in Hazaribagh district.

“In a democracy, just anyone should not be allowed to grab power.” But she did not refer to Modi by name in her speech.

“Our party believes in communal harmony. We believe in keeping the country united and not dividing it,� the UPA leader told an election meeting here, in an aside to Modi, who had yesterday targeted her over meeting the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid in Delhi.

“The country has many serious issues to deal with,” Gandhi said.

Apparently referring to Modi criticising the Congress on corruption, Gandhi said it was a serious issue and if any party had taken steps to curb it than it was the Congress. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, she said, the Congress had also taken several development steps and programmes to strengthen infrastructure.

“No country has an act equal to the Food Security Act, which ensures grains at subsidised rates and protects children from malnourishment, while the MGNREGA gives employment opportunities,” she said.

The Congress had brought the Forest Rights Act also to protect the interests of the tribals, Gandhi said.

Referring to Maoist violence in Jharkhand, where 20 out of 24 districts were affected with left wing extremism, Gandhi appealed to them to give up weapons and return to the mainstream.

“Violence is a big impediment toward the progress and development of the country. I appeal to my brothers and sisters to return to the mainstream,” she added.

In an appeal to coal workers, the UPA chairperson said it was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who nationalized the coal mines in order to improve the lot of the labourers.

She detailed the achievements of the Congress-led UPA government in the last 10 years.