Congress President Sonia Gandhi addressed election meetings in Valsad, Navsari and Rajkot on Saturday. During the meeting, the Congress President came down heavily on the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and said that the BJP government's much hyped Sujalam Suflam Project was hit by a scam, its work was allotted to a select few, kicking off a controversy over the whole thing. Speaking with regard to the BJP government's promise to give rights to tribals in forest land, she said the saffron party's concern for them was superficial. "If BJP was much worried about their welfare, then what had held it back to bring forth the bill for the Scheduled Tribes when the NDA Government was at the helm of affairs at the centre," she said adding it is the Congress which has brought the bill in Parliament for the welfare of the tribals. She said that the Congress-led UPA Government has helped the Gujarat government in all ways and had also sanctioned crores of rupees to it for rural development. But it needs to be known whether the funds were being properly spent for the purpose it were sanctioned and the benefits reached the targeted segments of the populace, Sonia Gandhi said. Speaking on the problem of salinity ingress in coastal areas of Valsad district, she alleged that instead of taking some concrete steps to check the problem, the Gujarat Government was busy passing on the affected land to select few. The Congress President also questioned Modi's right to talk about fighting terrorism. "Is he not from the same party in whose rule at the Centre (BJP-led NDA Government) the terrorists attacked the Raghunath Temple and Parliament," she asked and reminded how the then foreign minister of the BJP government escorted terrorists held in Indian jails to Afghanistan to release them. "In the rule of those who talk about a terror-free state, nobody is feeling secure," she alleged. Stating that the people of Valsad, Dang, Navsari and Surat in South Gujarat region have always blessed the Congress, Sonia Gandhi said before voting, they should keep in mind the work her party has done for the progress of the country. If the Congress is voted to power, it will work to benefit the weaker and poorer sections of the society, particularly the farmers and dalits, she said, adding that favourable Congress policies have helped farmers in Gujarat and other parts of the country to progress. On the other hand, the Gujarat Government had been following a different approach towards the farmers like disconnecting their electricity connections, she said. The farmers are being made criminals and cases of power theft are being filed against them, the Congress leader said. She described Gujarat's BJP Government as "merchants of fear and death" and questioned the saffron party's claim that the poll-bound state had witnessed development under its rule. "The crime against women are increasing and anti-social elements feel secure as they are getting state protection. Today the rulers of Gujarat are merchants of fear and death," she said. Addressing a public meeting at village Jamanpada in Chikli (ST reserved) Assembly constituency, Congress President Sonia Gandhi made an indirect dig at the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi when she said that a state does not progress through printing of advertisements and display of coins. People of Gujarat want a government that does not break hearts but works to join them. "I know that the people in Gujarat are impatient for a change. A sensitive government is needed in Gujarat that can take care of all sections of people, including adivasis. I have come to seek your mandate so that Gujarat is once again a peaceful and progressive state," Sonia Gandhi said. This is the only chance where you can cast your vote and bring peace to Gujarat to make it a state of prosperity and equality, Sonia said. "I am sure on the day of elections Congress would get majority and will usher in a new future for Gujarat." She suggested that due to corruption, tribal welfare had been completely overlooked by the state government. She accused it of conveniently ignoring their plight. The slogan of the Congress Party "Jodo Gujarat" was also an attempt to indicate the communal divisions within the state in an apparent bid to create an anti-incumbency wave. The Congress president has been addressing rallies in Gujarat right from the beginning of the year. The most recent one was a women's rally in the Anand district, which witnessed a mind-boggling turnout. Surveys state that Gujarat comprises over a million female voters
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