KOTHAGUDEM (Khammam district): Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi virtually sounding the poll bugle today appealed to the people to vote the party to power again in the ensuing elections.
Speaking at the public meeting organised here today, Sonia Gandhi recounted the achievements of the UPA Government at the Centre and the Congress Government in the State.
``The results are there for every one to see, whether it be the benefits accrued to the people through the NREGS or from the farm loan waiver,’’ she said.
Secularism and social justice are mere slogans for some people but for Congress it is a sincere commitment, she claimed, indirectly pointing at the Praja Rajyam Party. With elections nearing, Opposition parties who have nothing to boast of would come to people again, but, Congress is confident that people would repose their faith in the party again.
Waxing eloquent on the schemes being implemented by the Congress Government in the State, she listed the Pavala Vaddi scheme, the Rajiv Arogyasri scheme and the Rajiv Udyogasri scheme, as examples of the pro-people and `Aam Aadmi’ policies of the Congress Government.
The Congress party dream is to work for providing education, health and security to all and the party is working towards achieving that, Gandhi said. Seeking to strike a chord with the predominantly tribal population in the region, she said the UPA Government has included the lambada community in the ST category.
She said she was proud of the success achieved by the Girijan women in the Kothagudem region through the SHGs and various other programmes and promised more support to them in the future.
She singled out the Rajiv Sagar Dummugudem project and the Polavaram project, conceived by the State Government as part of its Jalayagnam project, for praise.
Earlier, Sonia Gandhi even shaked a leg with the tribal women, as they performed the ‘Bison Dance’ (Kommu Nrutyam), while welcoming her.
She was presented a bow and arrow and a replica of the Bison horns.