Monday, Aug 26, 2002
Monday, Aug 26, 2002 |
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By Manas Dasgupta
The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, with Acharya Maha Prayaji at the Preksha Vishwa Bharti Sansthan in Ahmedabad on Sunday. — PTI
She described the Vajpayee Government as a "Government of scams and scandals'' — it was "looting'' the country — and asked the people in general, and the Congressmen in particular, to raise their voice against the BJP's "misrule.'' Accusing the Centre and the State Government of misappropriating financial aid and other assistance sent by foreign countries for the victims of the Gujarat quake, Ms. Gandhi said the BJP Governments not only behaved "irresponsibly" but also in an "inhuman manner." She was addressing a rally after dedicating to the people the newly-constructed Rajiv Nagar to rehabilitate the quake victims of the Pipaliya village in Rajkot district of Saurashtra region. The Chhattisgarh Government adopted the village after the quake and constructed 183 houses and other common facilities at a cost of about Rs. 3.30 crores. While relief and rehabilitation of victims of natural calamities was the responsibility of the Government, the Centre and the Gujarat Government had failed to live up to the people's expectations and behaved in a "most irresponsible manner," Ms. Gandhi alleged. Even the foreign aid meant for the quake victims had been "misused." And the special funds earmarked by the Centre for natural calamities were never allocated to the quake victims, she claimed. Without once referring to the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, by name, Ms. Gandhi said the recent communal riots had caused irreparable damage to the State once known for its message of peace and harmony. The BJP Government had caused "total destruction'' to Gujarat where the people were depressed, trade and commerce was dull and investors from outside refused to risk their money. Urging the people to throw out such a "ruthless" Government and install one that would be responsive to the people's needs, she said "the Governments at the Centre and in the State have no answer to your problems, but you can find an answer by throwing out such Governments... I am sure all of you will do that.'' The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, while appreciating the people for braving the earthquake asked them to exercise similar will power in facing the "man-made calamity'' and give a "fitting reply" to the Modi Government. Ms. Gandhi was accompanied by the AICC general secretary in-charge of Gujarat affairs, Kamal Nath, her political adviser, Ahmed Patel, the State Congress president, Shankarsinh Waghela, and the former president, Amarsinh Chaudhary, among others. Earlier, she visited an old age home run by the Prabodh Raval trust. She also visited the Jain Muni Mahapragnya in Gandhinagar, a centre for Jain religious learning.
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