Sonia calls for 'all-out war'

By Javed M. Ansari

RAJIV GANDHI NAGAR (Bangalore), MARCH 18. The Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, today gave a clarion call to her partymen to wage a relentless battle against the BJP, and not to spare any effort to ensure the exit of the Central Government. Speaking on the concluding day of the party plenary here, Ms. Gandhi came out with all guns blazing. ``There can be no forgiveness, no mercy. The BJP-led Government has lost its moral right to govern,'' she said to thunderous cheers.

The 60-minute address was full of vigour and passion, colourful in rhetoric and solid in substance. Severe in its indictment of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, it set out an agenda for the party, elaborating the resurgence of the Congress, and what set it apart from the rest. The party-ruled State Governments and Chief Ministers came in for special praise.

The speech, perhaps the Congress president's longest so far, had the workers cheering when she completed. Much of it was addressed to the workers, self-critical and frank in its analysis of the weaknesses in the party, and what needed to be done to correct them. She promised a Pachmarhi-type session in the next six months, to provide an opportunity for the party, specially the new generation of leaders, to have a meaningful debate.

The highlight was undoubtedly Ms. Gandhi's no holds barred attack on the BJP, and her call to partymen to carry the campaign against the Government's misdeeds to every corner of the country. She began by pointing out that the session was being held in the shadow of the shameful exposure of the Government's insatiable appetite for gratification even at the cost of national security. Later, she made it clear there would be no respite for the Government both inside and outside Parliament.

Action plan

``Let the message go out from Bangalore, we will fight every battle, we will wage every war, we will make every sacrifice to ensure that this country is liberated from the shackles of this corrupt, shameful and communal government.'' A comprehensive programme of action had been drawn up in consultation with the CLP leaders and PCC chiefs to expose the ``corrupt and venal BJP'' and its allies, the details of which would be announced in New Delhi tomorrow.

The Congress president dwelt on a wide range off issues and also explained how the Congress was different from the other parties and why the people should prefer it to the others.

The Government was trying to tinker with the Constitution and the RSS-BJP combine was attempting to ``saffronise'' the education system, she said. An artificial homogeneity was being imposed on a vastly heterogeneous fabric.

The BJP had also not distanced itself from the declared agenda of the RSS and the VHP on the Ayodhya issue.

The Congress would oppose with all its strength the proposed partition of Jammu and Kashmir, she said and accused the Government of being confused in its outlook.

The ceasefire in the State was not an end in itself, she said and urged the Government to follow it up with some concrete measures.

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