Mewat/Biswanath Chariali: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said this election was not just about development and her party would fight for safeguarding the secular values enshrined in the Constitution.
“This election is to safeguard the constitutional framework, which our freedom fighters, our forefathers have bestowed on us after much struggle and sufferings.
“This Constitution recognises our secular values and teaches us how to respect them,” she said addressing a rally, in a veiled attack on BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Gandhi went on to say that Congress would fight for a country which is not just for a few but a country which belongs to everyone and where everyone enjoys equal rights. “We will fight for a country where it is not important what is our religion, language, place of birth or in which caste we were born, but we will fight for a country which is secular and where it is important that we all are Indian,” she said.
Simultaneously, promising to change the Assam situation, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi assured voting rights to migrants from Bangladesh and restoring their honour, while holding “political blunders” responsible for their plight. He trained his guns at UPA Chairperson, accusing her of doubting the patriotism of 125 crore citizens of India and misleading them on “so-called fulfilment of Congress poll promises”.
“They (Cong) have not given voting rights to Indian citizens (in Assam). They have given it to people who come in from Bangladesh. Around two lakh such people are there in camps. Our dream is to give them rights. The Hindus who have come from Bangladesh are refugees. They are here because of their compulsions,” Modi said.
“They have come here due to our political blunders. So it is our responsibility to give them respect and security. It is not that only Assam should take up this burden but the entire country should do it. We cannot push them out of the country,” Modi said.
“Sonia came to Assam yesterday and ‘deshbhakti ke dhol peet rahe the'(beating the drums of patriotism). Do the poor and others have to learn about patriotism from Congress and Soniaji?”, Modi asked. “Will Soniaji now give certificates to 125 crore people on patriotism? Do we have to take tuitions from you (Sonia) on this. It is an insult to us to raise such an allegation”, he added.
“Soniaji, now that you have opened your mouth on such a sensitive issue, you have to give an answer to the people. The nation wants an answer. Don’t dare to question the patriotism of the people and insult them”, he said.
Sonia claimed on Friday in Assam that she does not indulge in “big talk” while the Congress makes no false promises and they promise what they can do.
Attacking the Congress for indulging in “vote bank politics”, Modi said Assam has been ruined due to this and people working in the tea gardens too have the right to a good life.
Modi said the ‘shahzada’ and ‘matashree’ were only concerned about being in power.
“The shahzada (Rahul) and his matashree (Sonia) are just concerned about being in power. When they can forget you, why will you remember them? How long will you remember them?”
“Both mother and son came here but they did not have a word of sympathy to the parents and family members of those North East children who suffered atrocities and were killed in Delhi,” he said apparently referring to the killing of Tania Nido, a student from Arunchal Pradesh.
The people of the country, he claimed, had already decided whom they would vote for, he said. “They just do not want to defeat the Congress, but are in a mood to punish them,” he added.
“You bring a BJP government in Delhi and we will ensure that every poor will have a house. There will be no poor in this country who will not have shelter over their heads,” Modi said.
