NDA betrayed the nation: Sonia

By Radha Venkatesan

PONDICHERRY, MAY 8. Pushing the ``Tehelka'' expose as an election issue in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, today virtually sought a verdict against the ``all-pervasive corruption'' in the NDA Government at the Centre, and its ``compromise on national security.''

Addressing an election meeting here on the last day of campaigning, Ms. Gandhi trained her guns solely on the BJP-DMK combine and alleged that the NDA regime had subjected the nation to a series of betrayals.

``This is not an ordinary election. The BJP and the DMK are effectively our main adversaries,'' she thundered. Alleging that the NDA regime had betrayed the nation, she said its latest ``betrayal'' was the shameful episode of Tehelka when the whole nation was a witness to the all-pervasive corruption and how the Central Government compromised on national security.

``We are confident that the people of Pondicherry will judge the BJP-DMK for its dismal record on national security, corruption, maladministration, and for inflicting misery on farmers and workers,'' she said.

Alleging that the BJP, RSS and other forces were out to destroy the secular heritage of Pondicherry, she asserted that only the Congress-Tamil Maanila Congress alliance would preserve and sustain ``secularism and development'' in the Union Territory.

The Congress chief, who kept away from campaigning in Tamil Nadu, made an hour long halt in neighbouring Pondicherry this afternoon to seek a mandate for the ruling Congress-Tamil Maanila Congress combine.

Though the CPI is also part of the Congress-led alliance, she avoided any mention of that party in her half-hour address. While TMC cadres and candidates attended the meeting, none from the CPI turned up.

Interestingly, Ms. Gandhi also did not refer to the AIADMK and the PMK, which are her allies in Tamil Nadu and opponents in Pondicherry.

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