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Sonia terms Modi ‘anti-people’
| “Irrigation project, Sujalam Sufalam, is a major source of corruption” |
Giving land rights to tribals “eyewash”
Not implementing Centre’s pro-farmer schemes
Garnering support: Congress president Sonia Gandhi at an election rally at Jasdan in Gujarat on Saturday.
NAVSARI (Gujarat): Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday described Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as “anti-farmer” and “anti-people” and sought the mandate of the people for her party to enable the State to achieve prosperity and peace.
Addressing two public meetings, one at Jamanpada in Navsari district in south Gujarat and another at Jasdan in Rajkot district in the Saurashtra region, Ms. Gandhi refuted his criticism of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
She described Mr. Modi’s dream irrigation project, “Sujalam Sufalam,” as a “major source of corruption” and giving land rights to the tribals as “mere eyewash.”
It was her first round of public meetings since elections to the Gujarat Assembly were announced. While the Jamanpada meeting was attended by a large number of tribals from the south Gujarat districts, the Jasdan crowd basically comprised urban voters.
At the Jamanpada meeting, she made no reference to the national leaders of the BJP or its controversial national issues, such as Ram Setu or Ayodhya temple, but concentrated on the “failures” of the Modi administration.
Ms. Gandhi said that while the BJP was interested only in its “own welfare,” the Congress was “wedded” to the people’s cause and the progress of the State and the country.
Referring to Mr. Modi giving “ownership rights” of forest land to the tribal tillers, she said that if the BJP was serious about honouring the rights of the tribals, it should have enacted the law which the Congress did after coming to power. Mr. Modi had shown his “anti-tribal” attitude by “blocking” the implementation of the Central Act under which over 40,000 hectares of forest land was earmarked in the State for allocation to the tribals for cultivation, she said.
Referring to the Centre’s scheme for loans to farmers at 7 per cent differential rate of interest and the Rs. 25,000-crore agricultural development fund, Ms. Gandhi said Mr. Modi was deliberately not implementing the Centre’s pro-farmer schemes to harass them.
She criticised the Modi government for allocating thousands of hectares of land in the coastal areas to industrial houses in the name of Special Economic Zones, instead of taking steps to stop salinity ingress and develop the land for the benefit of farmers.
She refuted Mr. Modi’s allegation that the Congress was encouraging terrorism. She said all major terrorist strikes, whether in Jammu and Kashmir or on the Akshardham temple, occurred when the BJP was in power.
Claiming that there was no rule of law in the State, she said no progress could be achieved if the people had to live in constant fear.
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