By IANS,
Raigarh (Chhattisgarh) : Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said Tuesday that terrorism was at its peak in the country during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rule.
He was countering the BJP’s charge that terror incidents had increased during the present Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.
Addressing a public meeting in the industrial city of Raigarh in Chhattisgarh, some 225 km west of capital Raipur, the Congress leader also said the UPA government had launched several programmes for the poor.
“The country needs a UPA government again for the prosperity and welfare of the poor, Dalits and adivasis (tribals),” he said.
“In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls the Congress sought votes for the welfare of poor people. During the five-year UPA tenure, we launched several pro-poor schemes, including the world’s largest employment scheme – National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The government also passed the Tribal Rights Bill and waived farmers’ loans worth Rs.60,000 crore (Rs.600 billion),” he said at a well-attended rally.