Sonia Gandhi slams BJP, praises Manmohan

We should not do anything that will denigrate the institution of the Prime Minister.

“It is a painful fact that corruption seems to be widespread and I feel strongly that it is our responsibility as well as that of each and every political party to together, seriously, device a way - a mechanism to curb this growing menace,” Ms. Gandhi said.

Ms. Gandhi said “Congress has always stood for transparency and probity. And we have made it clear that there will be absolutely no tolerance for corruption or misconduct.

Even when no charge has been established or no misconduct has been proved, we have asked ministers and chief ministers to step down, pending enquiry.”

“We should not do anything that will denigrate the institution of the Prime Minister. We cannot sacrifice institutions at the altar of political expediency”, Ms. Gandhi said.

Stepping up the attack on the BJP on the issue of corruption, Gandhi said, “Can the BJP make the same claim in Karnataka where corruption is rampant? Let us not forget that it was during the BJP-led NDA that a senior minister resigned after the defence scam was exposed but was re-instated even as the inquiry was underway.

“And what about some of the leaders in the same party caught in camera taking money and later rehabilitated? The list is endless,” she said in reference to former BJP President Bangaru Laxman.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), 25-11-2010

Education should reach all sections of people, particularly youth.

Expressing concern over the problems faced by the people in Manipur because of the menace of militancy in the region, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday said any problem could be solved only through dialogue and not violence.
Sonia Gandhi said it was now time to work together for peace and development and every section of society must get the benefits of various developmental programmes being implemented with the help of the Centre.
"Education should reach all sections of people, particularly youth and with an intention of improving education, the Centre had converted the former J N Hospital into Jawahal Lal National Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal and asked the youths to utilise these facilities to become best doctors," she added, while addressing a public meeting at the historic Kangla fort here today.

Demolition of Babri Masjid was a shameful, criminal act - for which the perpetrators must be brought to justice

“We have made alliances with different parties at the Centre and in states. We do respect our allies. But it does not mean that we stop efforts to grow our organisation or abdicate our political space,” Ms. Gandhi said in her opening address at the day-long AICC session here.


In her inaugural speech, Gandhi said the Congress and the governments led by her party will "forcefully" resist attempts by anyone to abuse religion for political gains.

Talking about the September 30 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, she said it in "no way condones" the demolition of the disputed structure on December 6,1992.

The demolition was a "shameful, criminal act" and "all those responsible must be brought to justice," she said.

Taking the attack a notch further, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee piloted an AICC statement that said "recent revelations through detailed investigations have exposed the true character of RSS and its sister organisations. The investigations indicate the involvement of its members in terrorist activities."

Justifying the inclusion of references to the RSS, Mukherjee said, "The RSS organisation is to be exposed. Their links with terrorist activities which have been recently highlighted through the revelations are to be brought in."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed the role of Sonia Gandhi as the "longest serving" party President for the last 12 years and her efforts in bringing the party to power at the Centre for a second continuous term.

He expressed confidence that under her leadership the party would continue to be in power for a long time.

"I speak for all of us when I express my anguish at the loss of young lives in Kashmir. I share their grief. Their loss is a national loss. The whole generation has seen nothing but violence and conflict," she said.

She said the priority should be on development of the state. "There has to be a meaningful political dialogue with all parties and all region," she said.

On terrorism, she said the "threat is for real and we will never relax our vigil against terrorism".

Launching a blistering attack on communal forces, Gandhi said the Allahabad High Court ruling on the Ayodhya title suit "in no way - in no way- condones the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.This was shameful- a criminal act - for which the perpetrators must be brought to justice".

"We all remember how tense the country was in the days prior to the judgement.It is a tribute to our people that they ensured that peace and harmony prevailed," she said.

"Broader message for us all is that our fight against communalism of all kinds, against fanaticism of all types has to continue unabated.This is a political struggle for a secular India," the Congress President said.

Gandhi utilised the occasion to express concern over rising prices, noting that though inflation has come down to an extent, still it needs to be further brought down.

At the same time, she put the onus on the state governments to maintain the price line.

She noted that the states were responsible for operating PDS as also to take action against black-marketeers, hoarders and speculators.

She wanted partymen in opposition-ruled states to take the lead in pressurising the governments there to take action in this regard.

Unique ID project 'Aadhaar' launched

If farmers are deprived of their land-based livelihood, they must be provided with adequate compensation and alternative occupations

Farmers should get adequate compensation for their land, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said Thursday and stressed that the environment should be protected to ensure sustainable development.

'New industry and new infrastructure cannot be built without acquiring land. This is obvious,' she said, adding that land acquisition must be done in a manner that it does not result in the loss of large tracts of fertile and productive agricultural lands indispensable for growing food grains needed to feed the people.


'And if farmers are deprived of their land-based livelihood, they must be provided with adequate compensation and alternative occupations,' Gandhi said here while speaking as a chief guest at a function to dedicate 'National Capital Thermal Power Project, Dadri' to the nation.



Noting that the environment must be protected to ensure sustainable development, she said: 'In whatever we do, we must not forget that our lush forests and mountains, majestic rivers and all other water sources and clean air have sustained and nurtured us for millennia.'

'We have a responsibility to preserve them for the coming generations,' Gandhi said

Good education is just not the right for certain people; everybody has equal right to it.

"Good education is just not the right for certain people; everybody has equal right to it. We should learn from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, and this kind of education should be provided in other government schools also," she said.

She also underlined that education provided to children must be in accordance with the changes happening in the world especially with regard to new technology and new techniques.

Kapil Sibal, stated that the late Rajiv Gandhi considered providing quality education for deprived children his foremost duty. "It was in this context that the government decided to open a JNV in every district of the country as part of the National Policy on Education, 1986."

Sonia for tougher law against violence in the name of religion and caste

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was not convinced about its present form, had also suggested changes to make it tougher for those instigating caste and communal violence. The draft Bill would be ready soon with the changes.

Mr. Chidambaram said it was not acceptable to hear news of communal and caste violence even after several years of Independence. It could not be digested if the violence happened in the land where great leaders such as Periyar, Anna, Kamaraj lived and preached the ideals of social and communal harmony.

The proposed law would play a lead role in preventing violence. It would enable law enforcers to take stringent measures against those instigating and organising communal violence.

“In a farsighted move, one that will benefit both present and future generations, Parliament is also currently debating legislation that will give our citizens the right to a safe and healthy environment.”

“We are firmly committed and have a strong resolve to ensure that the benefits of the programmes
being run by the government reach the poorest of the poor in a transparent manner.”

Think big and think out of the box

Expressing the hope that the State's youth would show the way forward in doing things differently, he said, “We need more educated people, more efficient economy, more equitable society. We also need creative people, innovative people, people who don't just try to cross hurdles but know how to avoid them.”

Emphasising that all power should be regarded as societal trust and is to be used for public good, the Prime Minister said legislators were also watchdogs of public finances and they should ensure that there was no wasteful use of public money. Collectively, they needed to deal sternly with corruption and inefficiency in governance processes.

“On these new premises, we will witness new heights of legislative competence and legislative propriety, with discussions being guided by the spirit of tolerance, accommodation and deep and abiding concern for the well-being of the common people.”

Ms. Gandhi, who released a souvenir, said the State had been a model of “inclusive growth and development” in many respects. Right from the 1950s, the State had pioneered and shown the way in different ways — education, health, nutrition, family welfare, social security and rural development. “Through the decades, its political leadership has combined a profound commitment to social justice and empowerment of the weaker sections of society with a continuing emphasis on industrialisation, development and growth.” 

Sonia for curbing money, muscle power in elections

Prime minister Manmohan Singh said the “best and the brightest” were not attracted to politics and educated professionals and the growing middle-class often shied away. Vice-president Hamid Ansari dubbed the practice of ‘paid news and coverage packages’ a “blot”.