Firdaus Khan
Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday encouraged the partymen with an aggressive speech defending her party and the UPA government at the centre. She also reiterated that only Congress is committed to work for the benefits of the poor and underprivileged.

Sonia Gandhi Said, I feel very happy to see all of you at this historic Ramlila maidan.  I wholeheartedly welcome all the people who have joined us here from various parts of the country. We not only are glad to see you in large numbers but we also get encouragement and renewed energy from you.

You know that Congress party has always been working for the upliftment of the poor, aam aadmi, farmers, workers and all other sections of the people.  We not only led the freedom struggle but we also initiated the process of modernization in India. Our great leaders were an inspiration not only to us but also for the entire globe.  Congress always believed in secularism, and we have been working to unite the people.  No one can challenge us our commitment in this regard.

We called this rally to make it clear that we will successfully challenge the serious socio-economical-political situation being faced at present.  Today there a lot of rumours are being spread against the party and the government. The opposition is levelling several allegations of corruption against the government. What is the truth and untruth in these allegations needs to be understood well.  The voters reposed faith in the Congress in 2004 and 2009. A few parties have not been able to digest this.  They have been trying to weaken the government elected by the people and they continue to halt our welfare policies by frequently obstructing the function of the parliament.  Why they are doing so?  Why they are opposing the policies which are meant for the poor and aam aadmi?  Why they are not allowing us to discuss the crucial issues affecting the people? But I am sure that their real face will be exposed before the public.

I want to make it clear that these parties are trying to weaken the democratic system of our country.  But we will never let them to do so.  Congress is a party that has always protected the nation’s constitution.  We never allowed anyone to disrupt the democratic principle of the system and we will never ever allow such trends. The people who never find it wrong to indulge in weakening our democratic system, will never find it wrong to spread rumours about others.

Those who are talking about corruption are finding themselves neck-deep in corruption.  There is a saying that there are wells waiting for those who dig caves for others.

Corruption is a cancer which affects the common man the most. But we have fought this disease before and we will continue to fight this disease with all strength once again. We will fight all graft charges against us and none found guilty will be spared.  It was the Congress, which brought a strong legislation to tackle corruption – the RTI, through which any one can get information about the government.

You just ask yourselves whether anybody can bring such an important legislation, other than Congress? Such a law can be enacted by only a government which is committed to fight graft effectively and it is only the Congress.

Every year there are estimated ninety to hundred lakhs of jobless youth in our country. This is one of the serious challenges being faced by us.  We need new ideas and concepts to tackle this and FDI is a new step in this direction.

We are very much concerned about the pain of the people because of the price rise.  The Congress Government is also very much conscious about this and we have been trying our level best to take up measures to reduce the burden of the aam aadmi. It is a fact that we are forced to import 80% of crude oil from outside and the prices of the same have doubled in the last few years due to which we had to take some harsh steps.  But still the Manmohan Singh led government realizes the troubles of the poor and consistently takes measures to help them.  Manmohan Singh Ji had just explained about the economic situations in the country and I would not repeat those.

I just want to ask the opposition whether any other government has implemented the policies for the welfare of the people both in the urban and rural sectors, like the way we did. I use this occasion to tell all the Congressmen in our country that we will continue our good work more aggressively and positively.  No one stop our efforts for the development of the country and its people. We should carry on with it and should work together to take our nation forward.