Sonia wish list for Naxalites

- Congress chief in maoist stronghold

Congress president Sonia Gandhi meets villagers in Khunti on Saturday. Picture by Manik Bose Khunti, April 12 : On a day when the men in khaki were busy battling rebels in this Maoist-hit district, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi urged people to facilitate the formation of a stable government at the Centre, enabling the return of the “misguided forces” to social mainstream. At a rally to seek votes for the local Congress candidate, Niel Tirkey, the party president claimed that the Congress alone could form such a government, which would be led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Social justice, she said, could not be administered through violence. “We want those who have deviated from their original path to become partners of progress and prosperity,” she told a crowd of around 5,000. However, Sonia, in her 20-minute address, did not use the term, “Naxalite”, although she chose to elaborate on the issue. “She seemed to have woken up suddenly. While in power, the UPA government not only abolished the anti-terror law, Pota, but also refused to formulate a uniform surrender policy,” said local schoolteacher Meenu Munda. Sonia urged the Tana Bhagats —involved in spreading Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of non-violence on barefoot for decades — to visit villages with the party’s message of harmony and peace. Taking a dig at the “communal BJP and its allied Hindutva forces”, she said that the country now faced bigger threats from such “divisive forces” than terrorist organisations. “Common people want to live peacefully, but certain parties do not like them to do so. Such forces are traitors in our eyes.” Remembering her late husband Rajiv Gandhi, she said that he always dreamt of an India where the youth would be self-sufficient in every sphere. “Over 70 per cent of people in this country are below the age of 35. They alone can bring about positive changes in society. Despite the global economic downturn, our economy is improving steadily under Manmohan Singh’s leadership,” she added. Sonia reminded that over 4 crore employment had been given under the NREGA. This, in turn, checked migration of labourers, particularly women. For the first time, farmers’ loans up to Rs 65,000 crore had been waived. A new law was enacted to ensure agricultural rights of the poor tribals over forestlands. And, apart from different social security schemes, the Centre’s rehabilitation and resettlement policy had cleared decks for setting up new industries, she added. “I promise that in future too, we would continue to steer the nation towards prosperity, where women and children would have greater participation. This is a national election. Exercise your wisdom and widen your vision. Please vote for the Congress and its allies,” she appealed. Sonia reached the meeting venue over an hour behind the scheduled time of 10.30am, though her special plane had landed at Birsa Munda Airport on time. Finally, around 11.45am, Sonia and her entourage arrived in two choppers. State Congress chief Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu and AICC Jharkhand in-charge K. Keshav Rao were accompanying her, while Tirkey waited to greet her. While on way to Chatra, she stepped into the local police superintendent’s office for around 20 minutes to have a word with her party colleagues. This, in turn, provoked state BJP chief Raghubar Das to immediately send a fax message to the Election Commission that the Congress president should be booked for violating the model code of conduct.