SALEM, Feb 9: Sonia Gandhi for the first time today indirectly attacked the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) for its tie-up in Tamil Nadu with the DMK which has been indicted by the Jain Commission probing the security aspect of Rajiv Gandhi assassination. ``Today, you can see in your state some have joined hands with those who, according to the Jain Commission, had facilitated my husband's assassination,'' she told a public rally here without naming TMC.In an apparent reference to the AIADMK-BJP-PMK alliance in the state, the Congress star campaigner said: ``In the other camp, those who praised my husband's assassination have joined hands with communal parties and individuals'. PMK, a pro-LTTE party, had glorified the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi in a procession it had taken out soon after the tragic event.
Elsewhere, in Kurnool, harping on the age-old stability plank of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi sought a clear mandate for the party in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha, stating that the country cannotafford ``communal or unstable governments provided by a coalition.''
`The country has seen seven prime ministers in the five years of non-Congress coalition governments at the Centre. On the other hand, the Congress ruled the nation for 45 years under just five prime ministers,'' she averred while addressing a massive public meeting at the STBC College Grounds here.
The turnout was impressive, but the meeting which lasted 40 minutes, was totally disorganised. In the absence of proper barricading, the huge crowd repeatedly surged forward to catch a glimpse of Sonia and her son Rahul. The poor translation of Sonia's speech by former minister V Rambhoopal Chowdary only made the crowd grow more restive.
The public perched themselves on adjacent buildings and trees. Throughout Sonia's speech, Rahul kept waving to please the crowd, but it did not help.
On more than one occasion, former chief minister Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy, who is contesting from here, appealed to the crowd to remain silent. At onestage, the mob pushed forward to the VIP and Press stands forcing mediapersons to vacate the place lest they get trampled upon. Unmindful of the noise, Sonia continued with her speech though she did inquire twice about the cause of the trouble. In what has now become a routine address, Sonia mainly attacked `communal forces and coalition governments'. She accused certain political parties of dividing the people on caste and religious lines and sowing seeds of jealousy, insecurity and suspicion.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
