New Delhi: As the campaign for Delhi assembly polls reaches a feverish pitch, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday launched a blistering attack on Narendra Modi and BJP accusing them of 'spreading poison' through their 'narrow ideology'.
Gandhi, accompanied by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, also pooh-poohed the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate's acerbic attack on Congress leadership and Dikshit in particular on the issue of development and accused him of 'closing eyes and resorting to lies' to negate that the 'face of Delhi has changed in last 15-years-rule of Congress'.
Once bitten twice shy, the Congress was careful this time not to allow a repeat of the embarrassing situation of the crowd leaving in between Rahul Gandhi's address at Dakshinpuri last week. As such it was a packed ground with an enthusiastic crowd that kept the atmosphere surcharged cheering her with laudatory slogans.
After damp squib at Rahul show, Congress pulls all stops for Sonia Gandhi rally
In her 12-minute-long speech in chaste Hindi laced with sarcasm and maxims, she cautioned the people against those who were trying to 'mislead' them in their 'sole pursuit of power'.
"There are some narrow-minded people, who spread poison through their narrow ideology. Such people definitely include the main opposition party. But there are some other people also. They need to be asked what is their ideology. Can you make good policies without good ideology?," Gandhi said asking the 'conscious citizens' to differentiate between Congress and other parties on the basis of work done by them.
Dismissing Modi's criticism of the Congress leadership, the party President sought to strike an emotional chord, reminding people of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and the Opposition's attack on them as well as on Jawaharlal Nehru in the past. Gandhi, however, did not name either Modi or BJP, which she referred to as 'our main opposition party'.
Lauding Dikshit's tenure as chief minister, Gandhi also projected Delhi as a model of development and slammed the opposition of 'knowingly ignoring' this.
"The opposition has always done the same since Independence, resorting to baseless allegations. Did they spare Mahatma Gandhi. No they did not. Did they spare Jawaharlal Nehru, who was a great freedom fighter...? Did they spare Indira Gandhi, who worked relentlessly for the poor, the minorities...with a special affection for them in her heart.
"It was this sentiment for the country due to which Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives. How will they spare us, Manmohan Singh and Shiela Dikshit, when they did not spare those who built our nation," Gandhi said.
Gandhi's public rally took place a day after Modi's election meeting in Dwarka in which he had attacked Dikshit, accusing her for failing to provide even basic amenties to the people.
Rejecting the remarks, Gandhi said, "I am also a resident of Delhi. All of us are witness to the development that has happened in Delhi in last 15 years. There is a maxim that what is visible to open eyes does not need any proof (Haanth Kangan to Arsi Kya).
"But it's a different matter if somebody closes the eyes knowingly with a design and resorts to lies...While these things may not be visible to our opponents or they may not accept them, the people of Delhi are seeing all this and they will also accept that the picture of Delhi has changed in the last 15 years.
"Those, whose sole target is to abuse Congress and those who are only bothered about chair will not accept all this," Gandhi said referring to the Delhi metro, overbridges, roads and educational institutions coming up in Delhi as proof of its rapid development.
Seeking to rebut Modi's criticism of her government, Dikshit said while the country's average GDP is 8.32 per cent, Delhi's GDP is 10.33 per cent. She said that the statistics show that Delhi is among the most prospersous cities in the country.
"The per capita income of the people is more than Rs 2 lakh annually in Delhi, which is the best in the country. There are four crore mobile phones for the 1.7 crore people. It shows the way development has taken place," she said, referring to the presence of a world-class airport, metro and airconditioned buses.
She said that Delhi is the best city in terms of development, electrification, road connectivity and other parameters while Dikshit's son and party MP Sandip Dikshit said that nobody talks about what the scene of Delhi was between 1993 and 1998, when BJP ruled the state.
Amid concerns in Congress that Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party could make the contest trinagular in Delhi, the Congress Chief Minister, who is seeking a fourth term, told the rally that if a wrong decision was taken and Congress was 'defeated', the entire nation will suffer the conseuqences.
Cautioning people, she said, "The speed of Delhi's development should not be hampered. Delhi is marching ahead. If we took a wrong decision and either weakened the Congress government or defeated it, not only Delhi but the entire country will have to face its consequences...Delhi is the national capital. What happens in Delhi first, takes place in the country later."
Sonia Gandhi said, "By misleading the people, by creating confusion among them, you can capture the chair but cannot win their hearts. We have served you by our heart and, hence appeal to you to ensure victory of our candidates with a huge number of votes".
"...You see what is the history of others and that of ours. What have they done for you and given to the country vis-a-vis the contribution of Congress to the nation. The picture will be clear," Gandhi said.
