Bhillai (Chattisgarh), Nov 18: Attacking BJP for the mounting corruption and poverty during its rule, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said that the latest scandal involving a Union minister accepting bribe had come as a shock to the nation. Addressing an election rally here, Sonia said that it was all the more shocking that the Union minister was the chief ministerial candidate in Chattisgarh and cautioned the people against voting for a party which had failed to provide a clean administration.

The scandal involving Union minister who subsequently resigned came close on the heels of reports about six Union ministers seeking "money and undue favours" from public sector units' chiefs, she said. Sonia said that the BJP had made many promises but it failed to fulfil any of them and instead took measures which only aggravated poverty and unemployment.

Youths who had thought of getting employment after the BJP-led coalition came to power at the Centre were now frustrated, she said.

Those who were "self-centred" could not serve the people and their policies were meant for only showcasing, she said. "No section of the people whether it is youth or kisans or workers is happy with the NDA government," the Congress president said.

Bureau Report