Genre: News > India

Apr 10, 2009: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday hit out at the saffron parties accusing them of propagating communalism at an election rally in Gondia in Maharashtra.

 

Also present during the poll rally was NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

 

Sonia said Congress was not contesting polls to regain power, but to keep communal forces at bay.

 

She said that all Congress PMs, including Jawaharlal Nehru, had served the nation studiously and followed the path set by Mahatma Gandhi.

 

Highlighting UPA government's achievements, she said the government had waived off farmers loans to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore.

 

She added India will progress only when farmers' problems are resolved.

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Background

Born as Edvige Antonia Albina Maino in Lusiana, Italy on December 9, 1946, Sonia Gandhi entered politics after the assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

She steered Congress to power in the 2004 general elections.

She is also the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)

Sonia Gandhi had contested from Rae Bareilly in 2004 and won with a huge margin.

After the office of profit controversy, she resigned from the Parliament in 2007. Sonia later won the bye election by over four lakh votes.

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