By IANS,
Mumbai : Criticising some parties for practising parochialism, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday said that her party and citizens of India will not tolerate those who target people from others parts of the country who have come to Mumbai to live and work.
“Some people do not like this. We are not bothered by such elements,” Gandhi said, referring to the spate of violence against north Indians by Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), without taking any name.
In this context she pointed out that when Mumbai was attacked by foreign militants, people from all parts of India came together to neutralise the terrorists.
Addressing a massive party rally at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in west Mumbai, she said that the people who come here from the rest of the country are viewed with a narrow-minded approach by some people.
“Mumbai is a part of India. Whosoever attempts to change the character of the country should beware that the Congress and the people of India shall not tolerate such attempts,” Gandhi declared.
She was here to campaign for the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidates contesting the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai and Thane, which go to polls Thursday.
Paying rich tributes to the security forces and the Mumbai Police officials who fought the terrorists during Nov 26-29, Gandhi said: “The world has known who caused the terror attacks. They have been thoroughly exposed because of the efforts of Mumbai Police.”
Earlier this evening at an election rally in Thane, Gandhi echoed the sentiments recently expressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – urging people to refrain from voting for independents.
“Do not vote for this or that independent candidate, or cast your vote here and there,” she said.