Sonia attacks Modi, says BJP trying to take credit for Congress` work

Zee Media Bureau/Sushmita Dutta

Rewa: In a veiled attack on Bharatiya Janata Party`s prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said, "Some people in BJP daydream about power." Addressing a rally here, ahead of the Assembly Elections, Sonia said, "Congress does not make false promises. BJP is misleading people of Madhya Pradesh by twisting the facts." Also Read: Sonia Gandhi says BJP day-dreaming to retain power in MP While continuing her attack on the BJP, Sonia added, "BJP always tries to take credit for Congress` work." Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh by blaming it for making false promises and not implementing Centre`s welfare schemes. "Where did all the money from welfare schemes go?" the Congress president said. The Assembly polls for five states-Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and New Delhi-are being held from November 11 to December 4, and are being seen as a warm-up for next year`s General Elections. This is for the first time that Gandhi has targeted the BJP`s PM candidate so hard. It came a day after Modi, in a rally at Chhattisgarh, said that since she is ill, she should let her son Rahul take over. The remark drew sharp criticism from the Congress which sought an immediate apology from him. Countering Modi`s allegation that Centre makes false claims of sending huge funds to the states, Gandhi said the people of Madhya Pradesh should ask in "whose pockets these funds have gone". The Congress President said her party never compromised with principles for the sake of power. "Congress never makes empty promises. It fulfils what it says and there is no need to be misled by tall promises of others," she said. Gandhi alleged that BJP only talks big about itself. "They keep blowing their own trumpet. But stomachs are not filled by promises alone." Charging the BJP with misrule in Madhya Pradesh in the last ten years, she said it has lagged behind in education, health and employment opportunities and there was a need for change. "There are corruption charges against 13 ministers lodged with the Lokayukta. But has any investigation been initiated against them?" she said. She alleged that the UPA government launched MNREGA but in Madhya Pradesh the jobs have gone to contractors instead of the common people. She said if voted to power, Congress will waive the debt of farmers and give ownership rights to those doing farming on lease on a land for more than three years. The UPA Chairperson mentioned the Food Security Bill, saying the government at the Centre is concerned about fighting poverty and hunger. She accused BJP government of having indulged in "mere talk" on development during its decade-long tenure. Under the BJP rule, there has been rampant malnutrition which has claimed the lives of a large number of children and farmers are living in a very poor condition, she said. "The condition of farmers is such that a large number of them have been forced to commit suicide," Gandhi pointed out. She said that a "wave of change" was sweeping through Madhya Pradesh right now and expressed confidence that the Congress will win the November 25 state Assembly Elections. Senior Congress leader Ambika Soni accompanied Gandhi. Others who addressed the rally included Congress General Secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Mohan Prakash, State Congress President Kantilal Bhuria and party MP Arun Yadav. With PTI inputs