Date:15/03/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/03/15/stories/2004031506501100.htm

National

Unwarranted charges: Congress

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14. The Congress today assailed the BJP leader, Pramod Mahajan's statement that its party chief, Sonia Gandhi, was "power hungry" and suggested a healthy debate on all the issues facing the country.

"Mr. Mahajan's statement is baseless and unwarranted. Ms. Gandhi had refused to be the party chief even after the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution [to this effect] after the death of her husband and Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi," the senior party leader, Salman Khurshid, said.

Stating that there should be a healthy debate on all the issues, he said that Mr. Mahajan's continued attack on Ms. Gandhi and her family showed that he had no faith in his campaign in which the BJP had poured more than Rs. 250 crores.

Mr. Khurshid, a member of the Congress Working Committee, asked what could be expected from those who openly supported violence in Gujarat and the killing of the Christian missionary, Graham Staines, and his two children.

"The nation is watching. Even the whole world is watching the Indian elections and only time will tell the truth," he said.

PTI