Congress will now go alone in Tamil Nadu, says Rahul

Ramanathapuram (Tamil Nadu), April 21 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday said in future too the party will stand alone in Tamil Nadu and bring a government liked by the people.

Addressing an election rally here, about 520 km from Chennai, he said: "I am proud to see Congress cadres working enthusiastically in the elections."

Gandhi expressed his happiness at the party putting up a strong challenge in the general elections despite fighting alone.

For a long time, the Congress had been piggybacking on the AIADMK or the DMK in the state. This time around, no party in the state was willing to align with the Congress due to factors like corruption, inflation, price rise and others.

Even its long-time ally DMK walked out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, expressing dissatisfaction at the way the centre was handing the Sri Lankan Tamils' issue.

Gandhi said the state parties will not come to power at the centre post elections and Congress cadres should work to bring a pro-poor and secular government.

Claiming that it is only the Congress that worked for the empowerment of the people, Gandhi said the country progressed economically and socially only under the UPA government.

He said it was the UPA government that brought the Right to Information Act and because of that corruption has come to light.

Taking on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the Congress leader said the Gujarat chief minister should look at the Tamil Nadu model of development.

Gandhi said the state has shown not only to India but to the world what the people can achieve.

Modi, while campaigning in the state April 13, charged the AIADMK and the DMK of taking people for granted.

The BJP leader also made fun of the power shortage in Tamil Nadu, saying a 12-year-old boy from Gujarat would not understand why there is power cut when he comes to Tamil Nadu. He added there are no outages in Gujarat.