National

Govt. failed to maintain social amity: Sonia

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 21. Days after extending broad-based support to the Government on the issues of national security and the crisis with Pakistan, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today came down on it for failure to maintain social amity in the country.

She was speaking at a Youth Congress function to mark the 11th death anniversary of her husband and former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi.

Ms. Gandhi linked her criticism to the tension on the border and attempts to foment social tensions in the country. She said that at a time when the nation was facing a problem at the borders, "there were some elements within the country, who, instead of uniting the people, were spreading hatred and violence''.

Her remarks are considered significant as they come within days of her speech in Parliament and two days after her meeting with the Prime Minister at which she extended her party's support to the Government. It was meant to underscore the point that even while the Congress would support the Government on issues of national security and terrorism, no quarter could be expected when it comes to domestic issues.

Today's speech is also being viewed as an indicator of the line she is expected to take at the AICC session on Friday.

Ms. Gandhi drew a sharp distinction in the manner in which the Government was handling communalism and terrorism and the way her late husband dealt with it. "Rajivji also faced similar problems, but he approached the issue with an open heart and in Punjab and Assam he signed accords with a clear conscience. If he had been alive, we would not have had to face such problems.''

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