'Yes, I was born in Italy but India is my home,' Sonia Gandhi slams BJP

Thrissur, Kerala: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday launched her election campaign in Kerala hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "India is my home, I will breathe my last here."

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot take away my commitment to and love for India, my country," Sonia said launching her election campaign in Kerala. "India is my home. It is here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones," the Congress President said.

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In a veiled attack to Modi's references to Italy, Sonia Gandhi said, "Yes, I was born in Italy. I came to India in 1968 as the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi. I spent 48 years of my life in India, this is my home and this is my country," Sonia said.

The Congress President further lashed out at the Modi regime saying democratically elected governments were being toppled through "unconstitutional and other underhand dealings."

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She also lashed out at the CPI-M-led LDF and said they were 'anti-development' and follow the "politics of violence."

Addressing an election meeting at the Thekinkadu maidan on Monday evening, Gandhi said "Our democratically elected governments like in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are being toppled through unconstitutional and other underhand dealings."

Alleging that the BJP government was a threat to the universities, judiciary, NGOs and civil society, she said, "Universities have been put on notice, judiciary is being threatened, NGOs and civil societies are being silenced."

She said minorities, Dalits, women and tribals were also being troubled and political parties and other sections who oppose the government polices were being treated as "traitors."

"The Prime Minister has plenty of time for his grand shows. When it comes to farmers' sufferings, he just looked away," she said while referring to the crisis faced by the agrarian sector.

Coconut farmers suffered after the Centre refused to put restrictions on the import of palmolein and also declined to release money for Price Stablisation Fund, she said.

She also accused the Modi government of reducing funds for various schemes started by the previous UPA government like the MNREGA, and for self-help groups like Kudumbashree.

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The closing down of the Overseas affairs ministry, set up the previous UPA government, had caused difficulties to expatriates, especially from Kerala. She said Kerala was a shinning example of secularism and was a progressive state, but was facing a  'systematic attack' from BJP and RSS. There is need to "stand up and defend the values together," she said.

Touching upon the rape and murder of a Dalit law student at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam, she said justice will be meted out to her and the guilty will be punished as per law.

Slamming the CPI-M led LDF, she said they were 'anti-development' and follow the "politics of violence". The ideology of the Left Front does not take into account the state's special needs, she said.