The Hindu : One Govt., two chiefs, no responsibility: Sonia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 25, 2002

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One Govt., two chiefs, no responsibility: Sonia

By Our Special Correspondent

The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, at a party rally in the capital on Saturday. — Photo: M. Lakshman

NEW DELHI AUG. 24. Launching a broadside on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government for its "various misdeeds and power-hungry attitude", the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today urged the people to stand up and protest as otherwise their silence could make them "party" to the ongoing "misrule and rampant corruption" at the highest levels.

Addressing a rally organised by the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee here as part of the nationwide campaign to "expose" the NDA dispensation, Ms. Gandhi called for introspection and said there was a crying need to pull the country out of the quagmire.

She lamented the "apathetic attitude of the people" making them to silently tolerate atrocities, corruption and incompetence, and turn a Nelson's eye to the brutalities against one another.

Speaking in Hindi in an assertive tone, Ms. Gandhi's pauses and posers made the crowd respond. The speech was sweeping in its range — covering Gujarat, subversion of institutions, advocacy of trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, unemployment and incompetence.

She criticised the Vajpayee Government for its "dogged refusal" to take responsibility for its "misdeeds" and respect any view that was inconvenient. She said, ``I feel that even if God were to say something contrary to their view, they would suspect His intentions.''

Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's call for "raj dharma", she said the BJP — which claimed that it was a "party with a difference" and tried to walk a high moral ground — wanted everyone to ignore its "misdeeds" mounting by the day.

Questioning the Government's reluctance to punish the guilty, she said: "Ek sarkar mein do-do sardar, phir bhi koi nahin zimmedar (There are two chiefs in the same Government, but still no one is responsible).''

On Gujarat, Ms. Gandhi's contention was that the communal violence had been triggered by the BJP to divert people's attention from its own "misdeeds". As if this was not enough, "they are pointing an accusing finger at Constitutional institutions'' and attacking the media for presenting their true face to the people.

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