M A I N   N E W S

Sonia attacks govt on review of statute

NEW DELHI, May 17 (PTI) — Congress President Sonia Gandhi today made a scathing attack on the government on the issue of Constitution review saying that appointing a Review Committee of “unrepresentative and non-elected” members gave rise to grave suspicions about the “ulterior objectives and hidden agendas”.

Ms Gandhi, who was addressing the general body meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, said her party would continue to fight for “genuine” problems faced by the people and regretted that government had not heeded to its demands, including roll-back of prices and restoration of subsidies.

She warned party men to be careful about the BJP’s “hidden agenda” as more than 50 per cent of its leadership was guided by the RSS”.

She said half of the Budget session was consumed in defending secularism in the wake of government’s policies and its attempt to saffronise bureaucracy as well as the country’s educational system.

UNI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi charged the BJP government with providing “covert support to communalism’’ and said this was amply reflected in their casual dismissal of the deliberate and coordinated targeting of the minorities.

Ms Gandhi asked the party MPs not to be under any illusion about the character of the government. “This government is led by those who have spent a life time as members of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, and who continue to remain hard core members of the RSS while discharging their high duties of office.’’

Stating that there has been no clarity in regard to the government’s professed commitment to secularism, Ms Gandhi cautioned the party remain vigilant as eternal vigilance is as much the price for secularism, as it was of liberty. “Everything points to the ‘hidden agenda’ taking over the direction of the government while its leadership pretends otherwise to the world at large’’ she said.