"I will live and die in India" : Sonia
SANDESH PRABHUDESAI, PANAJI | 31 May 1999 12:33 ISTBreaking her silence over the controversial nation-wide issue of her foreign origin since the time she took over the Congress after withdrawing her resignation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi reiterated her pledge to live and die in India, the country she has chosen to be her motherland.
Addressing her second election rally in Margao on Sunday late evening, Mrs Gandhi claimed that the issue of her foreign origin was raked up by those forces who are bereft of issues in the forthcoming elections. Margao is incidentally a town surrounded by Catholic-dominated villages.
"The place of birth was not of my choice. But the question over my marriage and nationality were my conscious decisions. India is my motherland and I will live and die in the country", she said right at the beginning of her speech, before turning her ire towards the BJP.
Making a fervent appeal to the gathering of over 5000 to reject the BJP, the Congress chief also appealed to the Goans to foil attempts by the BJP to consolidate their forces in the state, which is known for maintaining social and communal harmony all these years.
"The 13-month coalition rule of the BJP at the centre has torn apart the social harmony and caused immense damage to the country. Congress is the only secular party which does not believe in the politics of hatred and whipping up passions to gain power", she said.
Probably knowing that Goans are disgusted over misrule of the Congress for the last 19 years in Goa, she changed her tone while addressing in the heartland of the traditional Congress vote bank in South Goa, sounding a bit apologetic.
"Plans and programmes mean little when we do not have a honest government. We are not above board on every development. We do not ensure that developmental funds are spent wisely", she said while appealing to the people of Goa to give another chance to her party to rule Goa.
Reading out salient features of the manifesto of the state Assembly elections like restricting number of cabinet to six to seven and legislators announcing their assets regularly, she vowed to root out corruption and provide a stable government, if people give a clear mandate to the Congress.
"That trust, that confidence will not be betrayed. This is my solemn pledge", said Mrs Gandhi while concluding her 10-minute long written speech in English.
