Kolar (Karnataka), Apr 16: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today lashed out at the BJP, accusing it of unleashing tension and fear in the country during its four-and-a-half year rule and asked the people to vote it out to 'save' the nation from 'fascist forces.' Coming down heavily on the NDA government's performance at an election meeting here, she said they had promised to remove fear and tension in society. But what happened in Gujarat was a 'classic example' of their alleged failure to honour the promise. The NDA had assured it would remove poverty and hunger and control prices, but had failed to fulfil them and was following 'anti-farmer' policies, she charged.

Gandhi said hunger and poverty was increasing and farmers were in distress and blamed the NDA rule for it. One crore jobs a year was assured, but the youths remained jobless, she said.

The NDA government had also promised a corruption free government, but its tenure was riddled with 'scams and rampant corruption', Gandhi alleged. Gandhi made a scathing attack on the BJP and Sangh parivar outfits, accusing them of dividing people on religious lines and calling them 'enemies of the people'.

She said if the Congress-led alliance was voted to power, it would provide a 'pro-poor, pro-farmer and pro-people' government. She also sought a renewed mandate for the Congress government led by S M Krishna in Karnataka, noting that it had implemented several welfare programmes, particularly for women and the weaker sections.

Bureau Report