Kochi (Kerala). Congress President and UPA chairperson launched Congress campaign in Kerala by addressing a massive party rally at Kochi.

She said, I congratulate the Chief Minister on my own behalf and your behalf. I also want to make my appreciation to put place before you, my appreciation for the hard work that Ramesh Chennithala has been putting in this last 8 years in spite of many challenges. My appreciation also for tireless manner in which Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is working for the welfare and the well being of the people of Kerala. I am sure all of you will work as a team and lead our party to success. Very soon we will be facing the 2014 Lok Sabha election. As he mentioned before, Kerala in 2009 gave us a huge mandate. The big challenge before us today is to repeat that performance again and I was assured by Prof. Thomas that we will repeat that performance and we may even win more seats. We will be going of course to the people to seek a new mandate with confidence. Confident of our achievement both state and national level and we do have many- many achievements. You all are aware of them. But 2014 election is not just about our records as I said we have many achievements, we have lot to be proud of. These elections are more important I would say than any other elections because these elections are about our country’s future. What kind of India do we want? The congress party has stood for 128 years for its idea of India. This is an idea that finds its expression in the state of Kerala. It is the idea of one nation made of many- many diverse people. We are all here today because we believe in an India where it doesn’t matter what religion you practice, what language you speak? It doesn’t matter what caste you are born into or what colour of your skin is. Its only matters that you are Indian. This is what we mean when we speak of secularism. We speak the value and traditions of our society. Tradition and values taught to us by our freedom fighters, by our great leaders and enshrine in our constitution and protected by our democracy. We speak of safeguarding an India which not only respect our diversity but also celebrate this diversity. This idea of our India today is under a threat from those who seek not just to rule but change India’s very heart, India’s very soul. What we want, what Congress party wants is an India, is unity in India. What they want, they want uniformity. We believe in an India that unites our people they seek to divide us. Our ideology binds people together, theirs separate one from another. What we believe in is this strengthening our democratic institution at all levels. They seek to weaken those institutions. What we believe in is leadership that empowers people and harnesses their collective strength in the pursuit of the national objectives. Dear friends and colleagues the choice is before you, the choice before the nation is clear to vote for a party that embodies hope or the one that promotes fear. The choice is either to support an India united in striving or an India divided by the hatred; an India that belong to all of us or an India to belong the some and serves the interest of few. The Congress party stands for democracy, diversity, development; that is the India our leaders work and sacrifices for; that is the India we fight for till our last breath. Friends, Congress drives its support and strength from all sections from our diverse society. The Congress always follows the policy that promote high economic growth but that it ensures that the benefit of growth are enjoyed by all particularly by the poor, by the disadvantage. Here in Kerala our principle opponents claim to speak for the poor but I want to ask what they have done for the poor, what are they doing for the poor? They oppose every single scheme that sets out for the poor. And this is as far they are concerned working for the poor. The people of Kerala can chose a party that is building an India for the 21st century or a party imprisons an ideology that has become irrelevant today. They can vote for a party that is always responded to changing circumstances creatively or one that is stuck with tired slogans of the past. You are all Congress men and women. You belong to party founded on the principles of non violence. What does our principles opposition in Kerala do? They reject the principle of non violence. We settle differences through dialogues and discussions; they settle them through brutal act to murder, with killings.   Friends, last ten years has been period of profound transformation in our country. We have had unprecedented economic growth. It is because of this growth that UPA, under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ji, has been able to launch and to implement a large number of programs in different areas like rural employment, urban infrastructure, water supply, sanitation, education and health and it is the economic growth that has enabled the centre to provide all states without making any difference with much greater assistance than ever before for development work. We now have record production of food grains and over the last decade procurement prices of rice and wheat have been more than doubled. Wages in rural areas have also increased benefitting lacs and lacs of workers. Beginning with the historic right of information or RTI a series of laws has been passed, like the NAREGA, the forest right act, the right to education act, the national food security act and the new Land acquisition act. And this is not just charity like our opponents are telling everybody. These acts empower our people. They give them rights, they give them legal entitles as they have never had before. Our opponents speak of corruption. At every instance when a case of corruption that comes to our notice we have taken action, I want to know what action have they taken when they were in government here or in West Bengal. What action is BJP taking in their state, the state run by them? They have taken no action. They are only capable pointing fingers at us. The Lokpal act has become a reality. Now in Kerala we will have a Lokayukt act very soon in keeping with this Lokpal legislation. There are many - many other bills to deal with corruption; they are waiting approval in the parliament. But as you well know our opposition is not interested in fighting corruption. They do not want these bills to be passed and every day they are stalling the parliament in order to ensure that these bills are not passed. In last three years the record of UDF government under the leadership of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy ji has also been noteworthy. I don’t need to list out everything but just as few examples, the metro rail project is proceeding rapidly, 8 new medical colleges have been launched, new initiatives have been taken in health care. Kannoor has become first district in India to be a zero landless district. Thiruvananthapuram is now model capitol. I am aware that despite all this progress challenges still remain both national and state levels. I wish to reassure you that for us protecting the livelihood of tribals, of schedule caste, of farmers, of fisher man and of women are absolutely priority. Well we must preserved our environment, forest and preserve our bio-diversity, livelihood security is most important, is paramount. We must and we will find ways to ensure that both objectives are fulfilled in a more harmonious manner. So friends, in next few weeks are going to be very challenging. Our rivals will argue that after ten years of UPA rule, it is time for a change. But I want to ask you a change to what? Do the people of India truly want to give up the values we have cherished for six and a half decades, for the untested promises of those who have built their careers on falsehood, on lies, for those who assume many masks only to pursuit for electoral gain, for those who pretend to be moderate only on electoral convenience. We must resist them with all our might. I am sure you will join me in resisting them with your might with our hard work and our commitment. We will fight to pull our secular ethos, the principles enshrine in our constitution and protected by our democracy.   We must strive for unity and not for division. We must continue to work for India of the fusion and not be the hostage to the dogmas of the past. I know that the Congress party always risen to the education. To me there is no this group or that group, we are all one group; we are Congress men and women. And that is how we will fight this coming electoral battle and that is how we will win this coming electoral battle. I thank you for your warm welcome. I join you to fight, to face the coming challenge, to fight altogether as one group as the Congress party group as the only group, the Congress party group, that is the way we will win this battle, that is the way we will bring the Congress party back.