Balasore, (Odisha) April 11 (IANS) Accusing the BJP of doing divisive politics, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday appealed to the people here to vote for her party saying only it can protect the 'unity and integrity' of the country.
"What is the path of our principal opponent, the BJP? Its path is to divide the society and people on the basis of communities. It promotes violence," said Gandhi while addressing an election rally in Balasore district, about 200 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar.
"Such ideology will harm the country. It will harm you and all of us. Now we have an opportunity to elect a new government which is committed to people of all castes, religions and communities. Such governance can only be given by the Congress," she said.
Hitting out at Odisha's ruling party Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for neglecting the poor, common man and farmers, Gandhi said the central government provided thousands of crores of rupees in assistance to the state government under different programmes but they were not implemented properly.
"Nearly 4,000 farmers were forced to commit suicide because of the anti-farmer policy of the BJD government. Under the central government scheme, farmers were supposed to be given bonus but the state government did not implement it," Gandhi said.
"The opposition parties like the BJD and the BJP have only one agenda. That is to oppose the Congress party. Their only aim is to grab power by any means," the Congress president said.
Gandhi said it was during the tenure of the Congress governments that the foundation of development was laid in Odisha.
"The Paradip port, Odisha university, Rourkela steel plant, Hirakud Dam and National Aluminium Company Ltd. are some of the historical examples," she said.
Charging the state government with being neck deep in scams, Gandhi said the central government provided thousands of crores under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act but the money was not used properly and was looted.
'Operation Sindoor is going on...', Rajnath Singh reveals; 100 terrorists killed in India's action.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in the all-party meeting that at least 100 terrorists were killed in Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor.
President Election: More discussion of Yashwant Sinha's defeat than Murmu's victory, know where was the mistake in three points?
Draupadi Murmu will be the next President of the country. It was only after three rounds of counting that he took a decisive lead over the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha. He was declared the
'Bengal will lose vital Heritage unless ASI tackles smuggling'
Kolkata, Feb 16 (IANS) West Bengal will lose a "vital" part of its heritage unless the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) deals with the menace of smuggling, says acclaimed British author and
A Thursday Review: Yami Gautam's hard work failed in 'A Thursday' in an artificial attempt to hurt the system
I am watching the movie 'A Thursday' in Fatehpur Chaurasi, a town on the banks of an extinct river, miles away from Mumbai. This is a small part of Unnao district which has once been identified with
RJ Mahvash: On his birthday, RJ Mahvash congratulated Yuzvendra in a different way, wrote 'Getting old is a part of life...'
Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal celebrated his 35th birthday on Wednesday. On this occasion, he was seen roaming in London with his rumored girlfriend RJ Mahwash. His pictures and videos are viral
Chaos at singer Babbu Maan's show, people threw chairs and bottles; police resorted to lathi-charge
During Babbu Maan's live show which was going on after the Kabaddi Cup held in Baddowal area on Sunday, the drunkards started throwing water bottles and chairs on the police. The DSP himself reached
We need 10 thousand Ambanis and 20 thousand Adanis, why said this, former CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant
Former CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant has described the development of the private sector in the country as essential for growth. In a meeting of G-20 countries, he said that we need not one Ambani
Now Priyanka Chopra will be seen with this Marvel superhero, this will be the role of the actress in Amazon's 'Ending Things'
Actress Priyanka Chopra, who has shown her acting skills from Bollywood to Hollywood, is in a discussion about her new film. She will once again be seen doing the action in a Hollywood film. Priyanka
New Income Tax Bill: The New Income Tax Bill will be presented in Parliament today, no change in tax slab or deadline to file a return
The new Income Tax Bill, 2025, which is being introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 13, has been prepared to replace the old law of 1961. The goal of the new law is to eliminate the complexities of
Very few officials know business rules: Parrikar
Panaji, March 8 (IANS) Very few people in government, both in the states as well as at the Centre, were familiar with rules of government business, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on
