HYDERABAD/PUDUCHERRY: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday drew a sharp contrast between the Congress and the BJP, asserting that while the grand old party worked for the nation and laid the foundations of India’s democracy, the saffron party functioned in the interests of corporates and multinational companies. Addressing an election preparatory meeting in Puducherry, he urged voters to take a conscious decision to safeguard democratic values.
Participating in a party meeting in the poll-bound Puducherry, Vikramarka said the AICC had given the country a robust Constitution and strengthened democratic institutions. “On one side stands the Congress, which has worked for the nation, and on the other is the BJP, which works for corporates. The people of Puducherry must decide which path they want,” he said.
Vikramarka was accorded a warm reception at the airport by Puducherry PCC president and sitting MP Vaidyalingam, former minister Kandaswamy and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Swaminathan.
As part of its election campaign, the Puducherry Congress has been organising a padayatra across 23 Assembly constituencies. On Saturday, the march reached the Embalam constituency, where Vikramarka participated in the padayatra and later addressed a large public meeting.
Calling upon voters to protect democracy, he alleged that a drug mafia operating from Puducherry had supplied narcotics worth `10,000 crore across the country and appealed to the electorate to deliver a fitting response to such forces through the ballot.