Sonia hails Rahul’s leadership at CPP meet, attacks Modi for ‘bluff''

NEW DELHI: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi used the occasion of the last meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party to hail the leadership of her son and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government as one of “bluff, bluster and intimidation”.

Sonia analysed the five years of Modi government as a “time of unprecedented economic stress and social strain for country. Tribune photo

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 13

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi used the occasion of the last meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party to hail the leadership of her son and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government as one of “bluff, bluster and intimidation”.

Invigorating the MPs at the last parliamentary party meet of the 16th Lok Sabha Sonia Gandhi said the Congress “won’t let BJP succeed in misleading people again”.

There is now near-universal recognition that the mandate of 2014 has been betrayed. I look upon this slightly differently. That mandate itself was obtained by deceit and dishonesty, by misleading the people,” she said adding that there was no room for complacency as the BJP had tremendous resources.
Earlier, Sonia analysed the five years of Modi government as a “time of unprecedented economic stress and social strain for our country.”

She said the very foundations of Indian democratic republic, of secular republic have come under systematic assault by the Modi government.

“Bluff, bluster and intimidation have been the governance philosophy of the Modi government. Truth and transparency have been brazenly tossed aside,” she said in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh.

Sonia also took the occasion to laud Rahul’s leadership saying the party was going into forthcoming Lok Sabha polls with renewed confidence and resolve.

“Our victories in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have given us new hope. Our opponents were earlier projected as being invincible. The Congress President took them head-on, mobilising and motivating lakhs of our workers who, with him, gave their all. He worked tirelessly..We won in what were believed to be their strongholds. That demonstrated our resilience,” she noted.

Sonia also dwelt on Rahul bringing “fresh energy into the Congress organisation” saying he put together a team which blends experience and youth well besides engaging with like minded parties.