Thrissur (Kerala), April 7 (IANS) Congress president Sonia Gandhi Monday appealed to voters to defeat the "forces of darkness" while slamming the BJP for being divisive and the CPI-M for pursuing a redundant ideology.
At an election rally in Thrissur, Gandhi said the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were crucial for India and it was up to the voters to choose between a divisive Bharatiya Janata Party and a unifying Congress.
"We should fight to defeat the forces of darkness and we will make the forces of light come alive in our country, as we have always done," she said.
Accusing the BJP of dividing India, Gandhi asked voters to cast their ballots in favour of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in order to ensure that the "country remains united".
"You have to choose between the UPA, which has always stood for a secular India, and one where we have protected our democratic institutions, while our main opposition (BJP) wants a single-man rule and one which wants our country to get divided," she said.
The choice before the voters was very clear, the Congress president said.
"Do you want an India that belongs to all or an India that belongs to a few, which will serve the interests of a few," she asked.
Kerala goes to the polls Thursday to elect 20 Lok Sabha members. In the outgoing Lok Sabha, the ruling Congress-led UDF had 16 and the Left opposition had four members.
"These elections are very crucial as the future of our country and the direction that our country needs to take to go forward depends on its outcome," she said.
Gandhi also lashed out at the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the main opposition party in Kerala, accusing it of following a redundant ideology and pursuing politics of murder.
"Here, our opposition (CPI-M) is one party which has an ideology that has lost its relevance. We follow the principle of non-violence, while they promote violence," she said.
The Congress chief went on to add that the opposition has been hurling baseless charges of corruption against the UPA government.
"I stand here and challenge them to tell us what steps did they take in their states when corruption issues surfaced. No one has done like what we have done to tackle corruption," she said.
Gandhi's Thrissur rally was a hasty affair with the Congress president rushing off to another meeting in Kozhikode. Earlier in the day, she also addressed a rally in Kochi.
Gandhi was the Congress's third star campaigner in Kerala. On Sunday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed a rally in Kochi while party vice president Rahul Gandhi addressed four rallies across the state Saturday.
Sunny Deol on Gadar 2: Sunny Deol proud of the success of 'Gadar 2', gave credit to daughter-in-law Drisha Acharya for this
Sunny Deol's film 'Gadar 2' has created panic at the box office. He has thanked people from the bottom of his heart for giving so much love to the character of 'Tara Singh'. 'Gadar 2' has achieved a
Beirut Blast: How the Ammonium Nitrate Bust Reached the Port
The Lebanese government has said that the blasts in Beirut were caused by an explosion of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the port area of the city.
Hyderabad: Oxygen tanker driver lost its way, 7 patients lost their lives due to delay
After coming under the grip of corona infection, there is a lack of oxygen in many people, due to which a large number of patients are dying. To deal with the shortage of medical oxygen, from hospital
President, PM Greet Troops on Army Day (Lead)
New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday greeted the officers and the troops of the Indian Army on the 67th Army Day, and said they "ensured
Chandrayaan-3: Chandrayaan-3 fully ready to touch the border of the Moon, will try to reach the Moon's orbit today
Chandrayaan-3 moving fast towards the Moon is ready to reach its outskirts. Chandrayaan-3 has covered more than two-thirds of the distance between the Earth and the Moon and will try to enter the
Jiobook Features: After the smartphone, now Jio will explode in the laptop segment, Jiobook will be launched soon with many features
Reliance Jio Laptop: After rocking the telecom industry with Jio SIM first and then the mobile industry with JioPhone, now Reliance Jio is ready to create turmoil in the laptop segment as well. It is
Firing in Central Mexico Bar: 10 Dead; 19 people lost their lives in a similar incident in March
The firing took place on Thursday at a bar in central Mexico. In this 10 people died. According to reports, the attacker started firing indiscriminately as soon as he entered the bar. During this,
Ravi Shastri suggests how the workload of cricketers can be reduced
Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri has demanded a cut in the T20 bilateral series when cricket is battling with the problem of a busy schedule, saying that instead of it, franchise
Children suddenly started banging their heads, school administration panicked: Such people can change their voice, not ghosts, this is mass hysteria
In a school in Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, 8 children start crying, screaming, rolling on the ground, and banging their heads together without any reason. They have 6 girls and 2 boys. This video is
PM Modi said on the death of Shinzo Abe - lost a friend, a day's national mourning
Shinzo Abe passes away: The world has been stunned by the news of the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shindo Abe after being shot. PM Narendra Modi has expressed grief over his sudden death.
