August 30, 2015
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday gave a clarion call to the people of Bihar to reject the BJP in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections and vote in favour of the secular alliance to save the state from the saffron onslaught.
August 30, 2015
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday gave a clarion call to the people of Bihar to reject the BJP in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections and vote in favour of the secular alliance to save the state from the saffron onslaught.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.: Congress President Sonia Gandhi with Bihar chief minister and senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar during the Swabhiman rally at Gandhi Maidan, Patna (PTI Photo)
Addressing the Swabhiman Rally at the historic Gandhi Maidan, a combative Gandhi lashed out at the Narendra Modi government for doing "nothing except showbazi" and depicting Bihar and its people in bad light by dubbing the state as a "Bimaru state" and questioning the DNA of its people.
"Kuch logon ko Bihar ko neecha dikhaane mein bahut maza aata hai, kabhi Bihar key DNA ka mazak udaate hain (Some people enjoy insulting Bihar… Sometime they insult Bihar's DNA. But the huge crowd here show that people of Bihar always stand up for their dignity," she said.
Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for working against the interests of farmers and criticised him for backing out the promise of helping the farmers and creating employment in rural areas. "Modi sarkar kisaan virodhi sarkar hai (Modi government is anti-farmer)," she said.
The Congress president said the UPA government had made valuable contributions in the development of Bihar. "Both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad have made effective use of the central funds as chief minister and union minister respectively for the development of Bihar," she said.
Aerial view of the rally venue. (HT Photo)
"The Narendra Modi government has spent nearly one-fourth of its tenure but it has done nothing tangible so far. Bihar needs special financial assistance to carry forward the development process. It is right of every Bihari people," she said.
Targeting the PM for his silence on the Vyapam scam, she said that Modi has retreated into a "maun vrat" with his silence on corruption issue. "The PM, who used to swear by his 56-inch chest to make tall promises, is now silent on corruption and his promises made to the people," she said.
Gandhi said that the Congress was the only party that always stood for secular values and principles and never compromised with communal forces. "We are the only party committed to the cause of social justice as it believes that political power must be with weaker sections and women who were long deprived and neglected," she said.
In his hard-hitting speech, chief minister Nitish Kumar asked the PM to withdraw his DNA remark. "Modi had questioned my DNA. The huge crowd here has proved that people of Bihar would give a befitting reply to the Prime Minister," he said.
"I am a son of Bihar. My DNA is similar to that of people of Bihar. The remark has been made by those who have never participated in the freedom struggle. People of Bihar feel that the remark has insulted them and denigrated the great legacy of the state," he said.
Courtesy: HT
