Sonia targets Modi, accuses him of making hollow promises

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that his pre-poll promises of combating corruption and ensuring inclusive development were "only dramebazi' and a trick to grab power.

Gandhi, in her address at the 84th Congress Plenary Session, gave a clarion call to the partymen to be ready for any kind of sacrifice to strengthen the party and to make the county free from discrimination, vendetta politics and arrogance.

She called upon them to forcefully fight against the challenges posed by the present dispensation and asked them to mount a struggle to free the country from the fear of power.

"The slogans of 'sab ka saath, sab ka vikas' and 'na khaoonga, na khaane doonga' are only and only dramebazi (drama) and a trick to grab power," she said, referring to Modi's promises of inclusive development and corruption-free governance.

She said that the Congress was fighting the tyrannical Modi government and the people have begun to realise that the promises made by the BJP in 2014 were hollow.

"Under the leadership of former PM Manmohan Singh, the economy of this country flourished. Our government formed policies which lifted millions of people from poverty. And today, the Modi government is weakening these policies," she said.

Gandhi said the present dispensation was using all means to be in power. But the Congress has and will never bow before the power of arrogance of this government which has launched vendetta against its opponents, she said.

The Congress parliamentary party chief said the party was exposing the frauds of the Modi government with proof.

The party, she said, was making efforts to win back the trust of the people and would work with like-minded parties to oust the BJP.

"Those who want to throw the very identity of the Congress party out of the country do not know how much people love them.

"There is only one priority today and that is how to make Congress party stronger. Congress is not just a party, but an idea several years ahead of its time," Gandhi said.

She also urged the partymen to extend all support to the new party chief and her son Rahul Gandhi who had taken over the reigns in "such difficult times".