Mew Delhi
GIVEN a standing ovation at perhaps her last address to a Congress plenary session,┬аSonia Gandhi┬аon Saturday took on Prime Minister┬аNarendra Modi, calling his government тАЬarrogantтАЭ and accusing it of тАЬdramebaaziтАЭ.
Taking the podium after an emotional hug from son and new party president Rahul Gandhi, Sonia also called upon the party to work with him to begin a тАЬnew chapterтАЭ for the Congress in тАЬchallenging timesтАЭ. Congress workers should be тАЬready for any kind of sacrifice to strengthen the partyтАЭ and make the country тАЬfree from discrimination, vendetta politics and arrogance of powerтАЭ, Sonia, who led the party for two decades, said.
тАЬThe Congress has never cowered before the aggression of power and will never do so,тАЭ Sonia said, amidst loud cheers from the AICC members gathered at the┬аIndira Gandhi┬аIndoor Stadium here for the 84th plenary session.
Citing the Gujarat verdict, where the Congress had put up a fight, reducing the BJPтАЩs tally to below 100, and the partyтАЩs win in the recent by-elections, the former Congress president said, тАЬThose who want to throw the very identity of the Congress party out of the country do not know how much people love itтАж There is only one priority today and that is how to make the Congress party stronger. The Congress is not just a party, but an idea several years ahead of its time.тАЭ
She recalled how the Congress had emerged stronger after Indira Gandhi returned to the Lok Sabha in the 1978 by-election from KarnatakaтАЩs Chikmagalur, after the Janata Party years. Sonia said Rahul taking over the reins of the party, in December last year, was тАЬthe beginning of a new chapterтАЭ.
тАЬThe challenges we are facing are not usual ones. We need to make an India free of corruption and vendetta. Under president Rahul Gandhi, let us pledge that we will make all efforts to do this.тАЭ With the party facing one of its worst crises тАФ out of power in all but three states, and down to 48 in the 545-member Lok Sabha тАФ Sonia reminded party leaders that the Congress had bounced back earlier. She talked of the 2004 Lok Sabha win, led by her, with the Congress achieving тАЬwhat many thought would be impossibleтАЭ.
She urged Congress workers to launch a struggle to free the country from тАЬthe fear of those in powerтАЭ. Mincing no words to attack the Prime Minister, Sonia said, тАЬThe slogans of тАШsab ka saath, sab ka vikasтАЩ and тАШna khaoonga, na khaane doongaтАЩ are only and only dramebaazi (drama) and a trick to grab powerтАж The Congress is fighting the tyrannical Modi government. People have begun to realise that the promises made by the BJP in 2014 were hollow.тАЭ
Highlighting the welfare programmes and initiatives launched by the Congress-led UPA, the former Congress chief said, тАЬUnder the leadership of former PM┬аManmohan Singh, the economy of this country flourished. Our government formed policies which lifted millions of people from poverty. And today, the Modi government is weakening these policies. I feel disappointed and sad that the Modi government is weakening the UPAтАЩs welfare schemes.тАЭ
Praising Congress workers of states where the BJP is in power, Sonia said the party had been relentless in exposing тАЬfraudтАЭ and тАЬcorruptionтАЭ under the Modi regime тАЬwith proofтАЭ. тАЬWherever there is a non-Congress government, our friends are taking a stand against anarchy and violence and continuing their work, braving all. It is the Congress that takes a stand against injustice and raises its voice against it.тАЭ She added, тАЬThe partyтАЩs victory will be the nationтАЩs victory, it will be a victory for each one of us. The Congress is not a political term, it is a movement.тАЭ