Mahendergarh, April 29
Congress President Sonia Gandhi said today that corruption was rampant at public places and “the culture of bribery is the order of the day in Haryana”.
Addressing a well-attended election rally in favour of the Congress nominee for the Mahendergarh parliamentary seat, Rao Inderjit Singh, she took on the INLD government in Haryana and the NDA government at the Centre for their all round failures. She presented the Congress as the ideal organisation which could serve all sections of society.
Mrs
Gandhi, who spoke for about 20 minutes, lamented that some persons in Haryana were indulging in self-aggrandisement rather than developing the state. “Pehle daam, phir kaam” (first the
bribe-money, then the work} is the tradition being laid by them,she added.
Referring to her recent visits to the state during her road-show programme, she said she had a first hand account of the sufferings of the people on account of the wide-ranging corrupt practices at public places. Also, unemployment and torture of women and their discrimination were the major issues that were causing despondency among the masses.
She expressed concern that even though the farmers of Haryana were in the vanguard of the “Green Revolution” and the people of the state contributed in large measure in the defence services and towards the security of the
country, the masses were living in a pitiable condition due to the faulty policies of the state government as well as the Centre.
Speaking on the occasion, the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Vidhan
Sabha, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda called upon the people of the state to support Mrs Gandhi. “The entire nation is looking towards her as the next Prime Minister of the country,” he added.
The General Secretary of the AICC and in-charge of Congress affairs in Haryana, Mr R.K. Dhawan,was among others present on the occasion. The former Chief Minister and state president of the Congress, Mr Bhajan Lal, was conspicuous by his absence.
Bhupender Dharmani adds from Sirsa:
“What happened to the promises made by the BJP during the last Lok Sabha elections?” asked Sonia Gandhi while addressing an election rally in the local mela ground this afternoon.
She said the BJP came into power on the promises of providing a clean and corruption free administration “but it has crossed all limits of corruption.” She said they had promised to give employment but during their rule not only crores of people have become unemployed, trade and industry had also suffered a serious setback. Without naming the BJP the Congress supremo said that
some people take election as a gain to grab power but Congress that has the history of making sacrifices takes it as a fight for ideology. She asked how those people can understand the meaning of freedom who hasn’t contributed to the national freedom struggle. Calling INLD BJP alliance in Haryana as opportunistic which collapsed due to clash in their vested interests she said that Congress will never compromise on ideals.
Mrs Gandhi appealed to the people to make the Congress candidate Atma Singh Gill victorious adding that villages would be developed like cities and every section would get prosperity if the Congress into power. She also promised to formulate policies for the welfare of the women and other weaker sections of society.
Mr Bhajan Lal, Haryana state Congress president, said the Congress would avenge the wrongs dome to the Congress workers. He said the Congress would sort out all the local problems like by-pass, railway over- bridge etc. He said during the rule of Chautala government law and order had crumbled. Mr Atma Singh Gill, Congress candidate from Sirsa, Mr Laxman Das Arora, MLA from Sirsa also spoke Senior Congress leader Jagdish Nehra and, former HPCC President Harpal Singh were also present on the dais.
