The Hindu : Sonia concerned over tension on border

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 01, 2002

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National

Sonia concerned over tension on border

By Kanwar Yogendra

SHIMLA MAY 31. The Congress president and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, today expressed serious concern over the increasing tension on the Indo-Pak. border and said that some concrete policies and effective steps were required. Every step has to be taken cautiously in this probable war-like situation.

Ms. Gandhi was at Shahpur-Kangra to address a pre-poll rally in which both the Congress factions in Himachal Pradesh, led by the PCC president, Vidya Stokes and the CLP leader, Vir Bhadra Singh, participated today.

The Congress president, while criticising the Kaluchak incident, said the Congress would not compromise on protecting the borders of the country. She criticised the ``ever changing'' statements of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, on the issue of terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir.

``His statement cannot be relied upon,'' she said.

Taking the BJP and the NDA Government to task, she said they have led the country into a strong communal frenzy and hundreds of innocent people have lost their lives in Gujarat.

But their attempts to create a communal and jingoistic environment in the country have been thwarted by people.

Ms. Gandhi was accompanied by Mohsina Kidwai, AICC secretary. She came via road from Pathankot to Shahpur.

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