By IANS,
New Delhi : Replying to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) criticism, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday said her party does not need a certificate from anyone about its commitment to fight terrorism.
“The Congress is the only party which has sought votes on the basis of its policies and programmes it has implemented – not like other parties, which ask for votes by spreading rumours all around and discriminate among people,” Gandhi told a rally here at the Ramlila Maidan which was draped in the tri-colour of Congress flag.
“The leaders of the BJP, who talk about fighting terrorism, should first search their souls and see what they did during their rule,” she said.
Recalling the assassinations of prime minister Indira Gandhi and former premier Rajiv Gandhi – her mother-in-law and husband respectively – she said: “The party which has lost its leaders to terrorism doesn’t need any certificate from anyone about its commitment to fight terrorism.”
Addressing a huge crowd of almost 10,000 people on a hot summer day, she listed achievements of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, especially the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations for government employees.
On the India-US nuclear dead, Gandhi said: “Keeping the future demands of electricity in mind, we have done a nuclear deal on our conditions.”
Gandhi reiterated her party’s commitment for ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) amid slogans of ‘Sonia Gandhi zindabad’ (long live Sonia Gandhi) and ‘Congress party zindabad’ (long live Congress party).
The rally was part of the Congress campaign for its candidates in the seven Lok Sabha constituencies of Delhi, where polling is scheduled to be held May 7.
All the seven Congress candidates were present on the dais alongwith Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
In 2004 the Congress had won six of the seven seats, while the BJP won the remaining seat.