In the lexicon of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, there is nobody by the name of lal Bahadur Shastri and PV Narasimha Rao. While addressing an election rally at Puducherry on Thursday, Sonia Gandhi chose not to mention the names of lal Bahadur Shastri and PV Narasimha Rao, the most popular Congress Prime Ministers of the country.
She claimed that her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister of India, had dreamt of establishing smart cities in the country much before the present ruling dispensation at the Centre thought of the concept. The Congress chief came down heavily on the BJP, the All India NR Congress and the AIADMK for spoiling and derailing the good works done by the previous Congress Governments at the Centre for the progress of Puducherry.
Sonia Gandhi said late Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had special interest in the economic and social development of Puducherry. “The previous Government led by Manmohan Singh took extra care in successfully implementing and executing all Central Government-sponsored schemes in the Union Territory. But the present Government led by the AINRC at Puducherry and the Union Government led by the BJP has been ignoring all welfare measures and development of Puducherry has come to a standstill,” said Sonia Gandhi. The Congress president, while giving credits to Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi,and Rajiv Gandhi did not mention the names of former Prime Ministers lalbahadur Shastri and PV Narasimha Rao even once.
She blamed the BJP Government at the Centre for not granting any schemes or projects for Puducherry. “All women self help groups launched by the Congress Government in the union territory arr dead. Fishermen and farmers are suffering because of the BJP Government at the Centre. The AINRC is an opportunistic party. It had no qualms in joining hands with the BJP and the AIADMK much to the anguish of the people of Puducherry,” charged the Congress president.
She also blamed the Union Government for ignoring the woes of the people of Puducherry which suffered heavily during the December floods. “The Modi Government at the Centre is insensitive to the problems faced by the people of Puducherry. I am shocked that the Union Government has not brought any new railway schemes to Puducherry during the last two years,” said Sonia Gandhi.