Sonia slams Atal’s ‘role’ during freedom struggle

Amitabh Srivastava (Dehra Dun, September 20)

CONGRESS PRESIDENT Sonia Gandhi today launched a frontal attack on Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee accusing him of betraying the country during the
freedom struggle.

Addressing a rally at the Parade Ground here today, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, without
directly naming the Prime Minister said, ?Some leaders who have come to power
today not only did not take part in the freedom struggle but they actually betrayed
other freedom-fighters and sent them to jail.?

Arriving at the Parade Ground in a helicopter accompanied by her son Rahul
Gandhi and UPCC President Salman Khursheed Mrs Sonia Gandhi was cheered
by thousands of people who had gathered for the Congress candidates from Pauri
and Tehri Satpal Maharaj and Vijay Bahuguna respectively.

Mrs Sonia Gandhi who seems to have started a personal no-holds barred campaign
against Mr Vajpayee for questioning her patriotism again alleged that this
government had imported sugar from the Army Welfare Trust and other
organisations of Pakistan even while Indian soldiers were being killed by the enemy
in Kargil.

?When the Congress made this charge some time back the Prime Minister
personally refuted this. But now, when the facts have come to light and the their
patriotism has come under a cloud, they have started questioning the patriotism of
others,? she said.

A visit to Uttar Pradesh, she said, has evoked both kinds of feelings ? of
happiness as well as sadness. ?I am happy because this was the birth-place of
Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and sad because narrow-minded people who
were making false promises were ruling the State; one example was their promise
to make Uttarakhand within 90 days of coming to power,? she added.

?These people who were in power both at the Centre and the State could not form
Uttarakhand but the Congress is committed to the formation of Uttarakhand,? she
said amid the cheering crowd.

Speaking in Hindi, she said, ?I have links for generations with Dehra Dun because
memories of so many generations of my family members are linked to this place.
My husband Rajiv Gandhi studied here as also both Rahul and Priyanka and we
used to visit this place when they were in school.?

Speaking at the rally, Salman Khursheed said, ?We have finally got our Messiah
and now we don?t have to go and beg anyone for help. Mrs Sonia Gandhi will lead
the Congress to victory in the coming elections.?

HTC adds from Shimla: Addressing her first election rally in Shimla at the famous
Ridge Grounds today, Mrs Sonia Gandhi said that the BJP Government has failed
on all fronts and various scams have taken place during its regime, the Congress
president said adding that the party was only making her a target and criticising
her. She said the BJP Government was out to finish the panchayati raj institution