INDIA: India's Sonia Gandhi addresses huge rallies in northern Uttar Pradesh state
Record ID:
1372201
INDIA: India's Sonia Gandhi addresses huge rallies in northern Uttar Pradesh state
- Title: INDIA: India's Sonia Gandhi addresses huge rallies in northern Uttar Pradesh state
- Date: 20th April 2009
- Summary: FAIZABAD (APRIL 19, 2009) (ANI-ACCESS ALL) CONGRESS SUPPORTERS GREETING SONIA GANDHI SUPPORTERS A SUPPORTER GANDHI WAVING TO CROWD SUPPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) SONIA GANDHI, CHIEF OF INDIA'S FEDERAL RULING CONGRESS PARTY, SAYING: "May be in their eyes (Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party), a strong leader is someone under whom being a Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister apart from attack on our parliament there was a series of terrorist attacks, who releases two captured dangerous militants from jail and takes them to Afghanistan as guests." A COLOURFUL SUPPORTER
- Embargoed: 5th May 2009 15:49
- Keywords:
- Location: India
- Country: India
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVABNQWVHT05KJQPZZFXF2VT6GAS
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Sonia Gandhi, chief of federal ruling Congress party addresses public rallies in India's politically crucial northern Uttar Pradesh state.
Sonia Gandhi, chief of India's ruling Congress party, came down heavily on main opposition Hindu nationalists and low-caste Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday (April 19).
Speaking at an election rally in northern Lucknow, provincial capital of most populous Uttar Pradesh state, Gandhi blamed the ruling BSP for what she termed as a failure to curb lawlessness.
"Every kid in Uttar Pradesh knows that here rule of wealth and greed is prevailing. There is no name of law here. The criminals that should be behind the bars have become candidates of Bahujan Samaj Party (ruling party of Uttar Pradesh) and the government is keeping silence over political killings," Gandhi said.
Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 lawmakers to parliament, is often referred to as India's Wild West.
Addressing another rally in northern Fazabad in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi ridiculed the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its track record when it was in power.
"May be in their eyes (Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party), a strong leader is someone under whom being a Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister apart from attack on our parliament there was a series of terrorist attacks, who releases two captured dangerous militants from jail and takes them to Afghanistan as guests," she said.
Gandhi was obviously referring to the 1999 Kandahar hijack episode and the attack on Indian parliament on December 13, 2001.
Five armed men hijacked the Airbus A-300 carrying 189 passengers and crew between Kathmandu and New Delhi on Christmas Eve in 1999. The plane touched down in western India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates before landing in Kandahar in Afghanistan.
The hijackers killed one passenger early in the week-long stand-off, but the remaining passengers and crew walked free after India released three Kashmir separatist militants from jail.
India said the hijackers, who were never caught, were all Pakistani and accused Pakistan's government of complicity in the hijacking, charges it denied.
The parliament attack was also blamed on Pakistan and brought the neighbours close to a war.
BJP's current prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani was the Home (Interior) Minister when both the incidents took place.
The first phase of India's multi-slotted general elections was held on Thursday (April 16), covering 124 seats while campaigning continues in the remaining 419 constituencies for the country's mammoth near-month-long national polls.
The outcome of the five-stage election will be known on May 16.
The main contest is between the ruling Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
However, both the coalitions may need the support of a host of smaller regional parties to form a government. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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