Sonia cool to CPM offer of support

BAYANA (Rajasthan), Nov 18 (PTI) — Congress President Sonia Gandhi today made it clear that her party was not eager to seek the CPM’s support to come to power at the Centre by toppling the Vajpayee government rejecting the BJP’s allegations in this regard.

“We do not want to grab power through unscrupulous manipulation. The Congress would only think of shouldering the responsibility and stake claim for forming the government when BJP-led coalition falls on its own, she said addressing an election rally here.

However, if the Congress came to power it would provide a clean and effective government, she said.

Attacking the BJP-led government, Ms Gandhi said the Vajpayee government’s sole interest was to “dabble” in communal politics and it had no concern for development.

“In the last election the people had given a chance to the BJP to be in power but see what they have done to the country,” she said.

She accused the BJP of “distorting Indian culture and history” to the detriment of the country.

The BJP had no one else to blame but itself for the price situation, Ms Gandhi said countering the BJP criticism that the Congress, which had ruled the country for nearly fifty years, was answerable for the fluctuating prices.

Dismissing the BJP claim that Rajasthan had made tremendous progress under the Shekhawat government, Ms Gandhi said the state had, in fact, been crippled by a whopping debt burden of Rs 23,000 crore as a result of eight-year of BJP rule.

In addition, development had severely suffered under the present dispensation in Rajasthan. Moreover, the law and order machinery had “utterly failed in containing rising crime rate and atrocities against women.”

She said differences among the coalition partners at the Centre left little time for the government to address problems facing the people.

Mrs Gandhi urged the people to vote for the Congress ‘which had the capability to serve them and to effectively solve their problems.’

She said the November 25 poll would provide them with an opportunity to throw out the BJP government which had failed to deliver the goods despite being in power for eight years.

Mrs Gandhi accused the Bhairon Singh Shekhawat government in the state of failing to contain atrocities on women and safeguarding the interests of farmers.

She said the government remained a silent spectator when it should have effectively advocated the farmers' case for adequate central assistance.