Moradabad, April 14
Terming the Lok Sabha elections as a battle between two completely different ideologies, Sonia Gandhi today alleged the BJP was dancing to the tune of RSS whose “parochial and extremist” thought was aimed at dividing the society.

Seeking to address Muslims’ concerns, she said the Congress government had taken “historical” measures such as carving out a separate ministry for the welfare of the minorities and launching National Wakf Development Corporation while putting a special emphasis on empowering women from the community. One one hand, the Congress president said at an election rally, stood Congress with a legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad and others whose sacrifices were for all to see.

“There is another ideology which dances to the tune of an organisation whose parochial and extremist ideas spread division in the society. It breaks values and customs which we have preserved for centuries.... I am sure you won’t be misled by them and hand them a resounding defeat,” she said.

Without naming the BJP and the RSS, she said they believed in foisting their narrow ideology on the country in the name of unity. Sonia said her party alone was capable of providing a stable and strong government, which the country needed. The BJP’s ideology would harm the people and the country, she said.

The Congress chief said the UPA government had done a good job in uplifting the living conditions of the minorities. “We have formulated policies to provide higher education to the youth, especially girls, by giving them scholarships under the Maulana Azad Foundation,” she said while addressing an election rally in UP’s Moradabad. — PTI

If Ambedkar had not given us rights, then a man from extremely backward caste like me would not have stood here before you... Shehzade (Rahul) is insulting him day in and out.
—Narendra Modi, BJP’s pm candidate

There is another ideology which dances to the tune of an organisation whose extremist ideas spread division in the society. It breaks values and customs.... I am sure you won’t be misled and hand them over a resounding defeat.
—Sonia Gandhi, cong president

Latur (Mah): Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today dubbed the Gujarat model propagated by Narendra Modi as a “toffee model”, saying it has benefited only one industrialist in the state, ignoring the interests of the farmers and the poor.

He also said while the BJP talks of empowering women in its election campaign posters, its party activists along with RSS cadres beat up women going to pubs in Mangalore (Karnataka).

“Let me tell you about the Gujarat model. Have you heard of (L K ) Advani. Advani and Jaswant Singh have been sidelined. Now a new neta (leader) has emerged. He is Narendra Modi. Earlier, there was a partnership between Atal Bihar Vajpayee and Advani. Now there is partnership between Modi and Adani,” Rahul said at an 
election rally here.

“Land of Aurangabad’s size...45,000 acres...has been given for a mere Rs 300 crore. This is toffee model not Gujarat model. For Re 1, you get a toffee here. There land was sold at Re 1 per metre...it was the land of the poor,” Rahul said. — PTI