Sonia in Mangalore: Exhorts partymen to uphold Cong ‘Hand’

By News Karnataka
Pics by John V. Tauro
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 19 oct 2012: Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has exhorted Congress workers to transform their enthusiasm into action and bring the party to power in the next elections .

 

She was addressing a huge convention of party workers at the Nehru Maidan in Mangalore on October 18, Thursday. Sonia who first administered oath to Bala Seva Dal students, began her address by saying “Namaskara” in Kannada to the loud applause from the gathering.

 

Sonia said she was overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm of the party workers and added this was the right time for them to  strive for the success of the party in the next elections taking advantage of the disillusionment of the people over the style of functioning  of the BJP government in the state which was neck deep in corruption.

 

 

Recollec ting the glorious history of the Congress, Sonia recalled how it was the people of Karnataka  who held the Hands of the Congress  when the late prime minister Indira Gandhi lost power in 1977. She exuded confidence that the party workers and leaders in Karnataka would strive unitedly for the success of the party.

 

Defending the hike in the price of essential commodities including fuel,  she said the government was still providing subsidized kerosene as it did not want to burden the poor. At the same time she made it a point that the Centre alone was not responsible for the price hike and questioned why the state government has failed t o discharge its responsibility by raising the subsidized cylinder cap to nine from six and has reduced the VAT on diesel.

 

She was also critical of the BJP for its opposition to FDI and defended the Centre’s action stating it aimed at providing better prices for the farmers’ produce.

 

She also said the Congress was making a serious effort to fight corruption.

 

 

Congress leaders G Parameshwar, SR Patil, Madhusudan Mistri, Rehman Khan,SR Patil, Jaffer Sharief, Oscar Fernandes, Siddaramaiah, Veerappa Moily, local leaders including DCC President Ramanatha Rai, Mayor  Gulzar Banu, MLA UT Khader and others were present.

 

Thousands of Congress workers from various districts attended  the convention.