Lok Sabha polls a "Kurukshetra war" to defend national values: Antony

Exhorting Congress workers to take Lok Sabha polls as "Kurukshetra war" to safeguard national values and heritage, Defence Minister AK Antony said victory of opponent would imperil these ideals.

Kollam: Exhorting Congress workers to take the Lok Sabha polls as a "Kurukshetra war" to safeguard the national values and heritage, Defence Minister A K Antony on Sunday said the victory of the opponent would imperil these cherished ideals. "The coming Lok Sabha polls is a Kuruskshetra war. Victory of the Congress is inevitable. This is not just for the party to retain power. It is essential to safeguard the national values and heritage," he said, addressing a meeting organised by the District Congress Committee (DCC) meeting here.

In an apparent reference to the challenge posed by BJP, he said "those on the other side of the battle line are upto undermine these values, and, if the Congress concedes to them the country will be the loser." He said that India has a rich cultural heritage. "No other country is as strongly secular as ours. We can not afford to weaken this," he said. In a hard-hitting speech, he also took on the Left led by the CPI(M), saying "they fail to read what is written on the walls and act accordingly." In contrast, the Congress was able to read the people`s pulse and make necessary changes as warranted by their needs. For instance, the party examined the factors that contributed to its defeat in the last round of assembly elections and made necessary corrections on matters like LPG subsidy, he said. Referring to Kerala, Antony said the Congress-led UDF is on a firm footing and it could not only defend the existing seats, but wrest more from the LDF.