New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday night broadcast an appeal on various TV channels saying that the current Lok Sabha elections was a fight to protect "the very heart and soul of India" from those who want to divide the people of this country.
Without naming either Narendra Modi or the BJP in her telecast, Gandhi said, "We want unity. They want to impose uniformity. They say, `Just believe in ME rpt ME`".
Observing that Love and Respect, Harmony and Brotherhood--in a word, Non-violence--are the very heart and soul of our motherland, Gandhi said, "It is this, the very heart and soul of India, that we are fighting to protect in this election, from those who seek to change it, and to divide us." In the strongest-ever attack on BJP in the current campaign, Gandhi appealed to people to defeat "divisive and autocratic" forces which will "destroy" the Indian ethos.
The appeal for support to Congress saw Gandhi launch an all-out attack on BJP saying its vision is "clouded with hatred and falsehood" and its ideology is "divisive and autocratic".
"Their vision, clouded with hatred and falsehood, their ideology - divisive and autocratic, will drive us to the ruination of our `Bharatiyata` and `Hindustaniat`," she said.
Gandhi said, "We are fighting in this election for a future where power is not the preserve of a select few but exercised by the many." "Today, our society stands at a crossroads. The Congress ideology and vision will continue to take us towards a healthy, free democracy, open to the life of change and transformation," Gandhi said in her appeal.
Congress is fighting one of its toughest battles after being in power for ten years that has brought in anti- incumbency, forcing the party to fight with its back to the wall.
Gandhi`s appeal in the form of a short televised speech in multiple channels was made both in Hindi and English.
It was said to be telecast as an advertisement by the TV channels.