Date:05/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/05/stories/2006030516160700.htm

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Reject politics of violence, says Sonia

Staff Reporter

KPCC organises mammoth rally in Kochi

PHOTO: AP

Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Kochi on Saturday.

KOCHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called to reject the politics of obstruction, violence and false propaganda.

Addressing a mammoth public rally organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) here on Saturday, kick-starting the election campaign of the party in the State, Ms. Gandhi said the political opponents of the United Democratic Front (UDF) Government in the State were "obstructing the Government at all stages." The Government, she said, was working hard to fulfil all its promises.

She said that some of the parties with which the Congress was working at the Centre were its opponents in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura.

She said many parties were attempting to claim the credit for the initiatives of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre. However, the initiatives of the UPA Government were there in the Congress manifesto released in 2004, she said.

"We reject our political opponents' politics of restriction, violence, gherao and false propaganda," she said, taking a dig at the CPI(M).

Ms. Gandhi said Kerala had become one of the investment destinations. Without investment, there was no economic growth and generation of employment opportunities for the youth. The Government had taken up major development projects such as ports, roads, bridges and national highways. It had also opened a number of medical and engineering colleges in the State so that the students of the State need not go to other States for professional education, she said.

The Congress president said Kerala had made tremendous progress in IT sector.

She said the UPA Government had set up a new Ministry for the welfare for Non-Resident Indians at the Centre headed by Vayalar Ravi and a National Commission for the Education of Minority Communities. The last 20 months of the UPA Government at the Centre saw the passing of the National Rural Employment Act, a new legislation for preventing domestic violence against women and also a law for dealing with communal violence.

Ms. Gandhi released the book `Priyankariyaya Sonia' penned by K.V. Thomas, MLA.