Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi attend Arun Nehru’s cremation

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi attended Arun Nehru’s cremation at New delhi’s Lodhi road crematorium. Priyanka’s son lit the pyre.

Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi -- the energetic Congress leaders

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been leading her party very effectively and under her guidance Congress-led UPA government at the centre implemented various welfare policies for the benefit of the poor in the country. Her daughter and Star Congress campaigner Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also another energetic leader who strike chords with the people very easily.

Sonia Gandhi in Karnataka slams BJP’s misrule; calls for change in the state

Chikmagalure: Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, while addressing a mammoth election rally at Chikmagalure in Karnataka as part of her campaign for the upcoming assembly polls in the state on Saturday, launched a blistering attack on the ruling BJP government for cheating the people and ignoring the development in the state.

Sonia Gandhi started her address by striking an emotional chord with the people of Chikmagalure recalling how they had extended their support to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1978. “We cannot forget and we will not forget that the people of Chikmagalur, 35 years ago, lent a helping hand to my mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, when she needed it the most.  And I am here today to offer to you the helping hand of the Congress party now, because it is now you need it most” said Sonia Gandhi and the audience greeted it with huge applauds.

Slamming the BJP, the Congress President stressed that the present government in Karnataka betrayed the people's mandate and claimed that the people are looking for a change. “People want change and this feeling was seen in the recent local elections.. The need for change is now and you know better, why we need a change? You live here and you are suffering because of the bad governance of the BJP” said Sonia Gandhi in her first campaign rally in Karnataka, which goes to assembly polls on May 5.

"The BJP has completely betrayed the mandate of the people of Karnataka", she argued and continued “Immoral behaviour of the persons in the positions of power has crossed all limits. The law and order has collapsed. The mining mafia has destroyed the environment and has ransacked huge mineral resources, which are your property. Secular values of Karnataka society, in this region in particular, have been gravely damaged by fanatical elements only for their narrow and selfish political ends”.

Sonia Gandhi added that there was a time when industries competed with one another to invest in Karnataka but the situation now is opposite. She alleged that the industries are leaving Karnataka because of corruption, government interference and poor infrastructure. Noting that Karnataka has had a glorious past and brighter future awaiting, she said this is possible only if there is political stability. 

Taking a dig at BJP for frequently changing the Chief Ministers in the recent past, she said “For a brighter future for Karnataka, one should realise that stability is essential. We cannot afford governments, which keep on changing Chief Ministers every now and then.. A stable Government is the need of the hour in Karnataka”. 

“We (Congress party) reject any communal ideology. We reject any ideology or institution that spreads hatred and disunity” underlined the UPA Chairperson.

“Come out in large numbers on 5^th of May. Vote for Congress; caste your votes for stability; caste your votes for a future of pride of all the people of Karnataka and Chikmagalur” said Sonia Gandhi while concluding her address.

Sonia Gandhi and 15 successful years as Congress President

On 14 March, when Sonia Gandhi completes 15 uninterrupted years - a unique distinction - as the Congress president, she has a lot of things in her credit, from strengthening her party to giving a visionary guidance to the Congress-led coalition government at the Centre.   She took over as Congress President in 1998 at a time a demoralised and fragmented Congress party was going through a turbulent phase and ruling just four states of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Mizoram and Nagaland. And after taking over Sonia Gandhi restored the party's central place in the country's polity in six years.

After three continuous in 1996, 1998 and 1999, Sonia Gandhi played a pivotal role in bringing the Congress party back to power in 2004 and since then the Congress has successfully led a coalition government at the Centre and is in power in 13 states.

It was because of her persistent intervention and guidance the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre framed some land mark polices like Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, the Right to Education and the Right to Information. Women empowerment has always been her focus and she was instrumental for many polices by the Centre in that direction. The mid-day meal scheme in government schools is yet another example for her pro-poor approach. Now the government is ready with Food Security Bill, another dream project of Sonia Gandhi.  She always argued for inclusive growth and insisted for special care to youth, women, minorities, tribals and other most backward classes. There is her mark in the latest Congress-led Centre government programme, the Direct cash transfer (DBT) in which the money meant for the poor will directly reach the beneficiaries bank accounts through Aadhar card.

It is a fact that the Congress was in disarray when Sonia Gandhi took over. But after that she has been able to establish unity and authority in the party and now Congress has regained its political domination across the country.

Sonia Gandhi has also been credited for taking the Congress to the left-of-the-centre position and for crafting good and effective coalitions. Her legacy is bringing Congress back to secular position with focus on welfare and distribution that helped the party to regain its dominance in the national polity in 2004.

It is a known fact that Sonia Gandhi, after the assassination of her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, had turned down repeated requests by Congress workers, leaders and followers to  join the party, till 1997. And finally, on March 14, 1998, she was elected as the Congress President. The biggest challenge for her then was to rejuvenate the party that had crumbled and split over the years and it is history now that she could accomplish the task effectively and efficiently.

Though Congress faced electoral debacle initially, the party under the energetic leadership of Sonia Gandhi could come back with a bang in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress emerged as the single largest party and along with Left, and other like-minded parties formed the UPA government. Unperturbed by the foreign origin issue raked by her opponents, Sonia Gandhi had succeeded in demolishing BJP led NDA's "India Shining" campaigns with the "aam aadmi" slogan of the Congress.

The important milestone in her political career is her refusing the PM post. She stunned the entire world by declining to take up the top post. "Power in itself has never attracted me, nor has position been my goal," she had then said. The renunciation of power -- a move many described as one of her biggest political masterstrokes-- solidified Sonia Gandhi's position. Under her leadership, the UPA retained power in 2009 general elections with the Congress winning 206 seats, the highest by any party since 1991.

For Sonia Gandhi, the biggest challenge now, is to ensure Congress' victory in the coming assembly and Lok Sabha elections, which comes at a time when the party has been at the receiving end of several controversies. But, Congress is hopeful that with her visionary leadership and under newly appointed young Congress President Rahul Gandhi, the party will retain the power in the next general elections also.

Sonia Gandhi inaugurates South Asian Autism Network (SAAN) conference

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated a conference of the South Asia Autism Network in New Delhi on Monday. Representatives from India, Bangladesh, Thailand and WHO, SEARO will participate in the daylong conference.

“It is simply not acceptable that we perceive people with autism as people who don’t have any understanding. We need to change. We must make the world a comfortable place for those with autism. We need to learn to respect those who may perceive and experience the world differently from us. We need to empathize with them” said Sonia Gandhi. “We need to focus on not what is different about them, unfamiliar movement, unexpected expressions, unusual silences, uncommon imagination but on the vastness of what we have in the common as equal members of one humanity” she added.

The Congress President continued “Human society has expanded the frontiers of knowledge and seen the eradication of many debilitating diseases, yet in the case of autism, despite its widespread prevalence, an understanding for its causes remains elusive”.

“ Professor Saima Wajid Hussain has just given us some figures that tell us that autism specter disorder is on the increase. We probably have over 8 million individuals with autism spectrum condition” said SoniaGandhi and added “Our ministers have just spoken to us about many initiatives and the programmes which have been started here in India, including some changes in some policies. However, I feel that the fulmination of public policies in our countries is not kept pace and not enough attention has been given to disability sector.  In the absence of adequate institutional support mechanism, the differently abled remained deprived of their rights”.

During the conference, representatives from India and Bangladesh will present the official SAAN charter for adoption by all network member States. The charter notes the commitment to the following goals: To raise public and professional awareness of ASD; to provide resources for parents and professionals; to collect public health data to understand the burden of ASD; to conduct professional training in the areas of evidence based services to meet the life cycle needs of persons with ASD. It will also encourage in ASD, promote inter-country sharing of data resources and expertise and to explore funding mechanisms to achieve the above goals and objectives.

The WHO shows an escalation in the disease burden for autism from 10 percent to 14 percent over the period 1990 to 2011. It is expected to rise to 15 percent by 2020. After the adoption of Dhaka Declaration on 25 July 2011, the South Asian Autism Network (SAAN) was born to combat the devastating autism public health crises. The intention is to identify common challenges each country is facing and form a partnership to develop solutions in a collaborating and coordinated fashion.

The intensions include establishing a regional autism awareness campaign in South East Asia, creating joint programmes for information-sharing and professional training, and defining national and regional strategies to advance autism public health research and policy development.

Sonia Gandhi’s intervention: Uttarakhand govt to stop Corbett land grab

Frequent interventions by Congress president Sonia Gandhi have made the Uttarakhand government crack the whip on 'encroachers' in Corbett Tiger Reserve.

The state government has banned any kind of land transaction within a radius of 2 km from the reserve boundary. Sonia was apprised of this decision through a letter dated January 4, 2013 by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. reports about land encroachment along the periphery of the national park, especially around the Ramganga river, prompted Sonia, who is also the chairman of the National Board for Wildlife, to take up the matter with the Prime Minister.

In a letter dated May 11, 2012, Sonia Gandhi demanded that allegations made in new reports be probed. "The peripheral forestland are being encroached upon and tourism-related infrastructure is posing a threat to the wildlife in the reserve. I request you to have the matter urgently examined so that appropriate measures may be undertaken to preserve the ecological integrity of the reserve," the letter stated.

The Environment and Forest Ministry quickly constituted a two-member committee to probe the matter. On June 5, the committee submitted a report seeking a probe against activities of four people - former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, former MP Akbar Ahmed Dumpy, former forest minister Nav Prabhat and Leisure Hotels managing director Mukund Prasad. The panel recommended immediate halt on all revenue land transactions in buffer areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve till a high-level probe is completed by the state government. The report stated: "A departmental inquiry should be conducted in the alleged collusion of officials to facilitate private hoteliers and lodge owners and MoU by the state with private angling associations in the buffer area must be terminated."

Sonia Gandhi sent the findings to Bahuguna on June 12. She wrote: "You are requested to look into the matter personally as the issue is of serious nature." Bahuguna ordered a vigilance inquiry and immediately reverted to Sonia through a letter dated July 14, apprising her of the interim measures he had taken.

Sonia Gandhi: We are committed to India's unity, will fight those who divide us

“We should understand that people are disillusioned by the political process, we should be sensitive to that and bring changes to that effect, said Sonia Gandhi in her address on the last day of the three-day Chintan Shivir of the Congress in Jaipur on Sunday.

 The Congress President added, “Corruption is a deep-seated malaise. We are resolved to fight against it. That is why we have passed the Lokpal Bill in the last Lok Sabha session. We have introduced the ‘aapka paisa, aapke haath’ direct cash transfer scheme to weed out middle-men from the system,” she announced. Sonia Gandhi said, "India is a country rooted in a strong federal structure that works for its people and has principled relationship with neighbours."

The party president highlighted the achievements of the UPA government such as the direct cash transfer scheme. and against corruption. The government has initiated a five-point programme, including drafting laws to combat corruption, she said. Agriculture and farmer is central to our programmes.

We are committed to India's unity, will fight those who divide us, she said.

 "We are forming a committee to process all suggestions that have come here and work on programmes we can implement," informed Sonia Gandhi.  Talking about the Delhi gang rape case, Sonia Gandhi said, "Will ensure that the death of the Delhi Gang rape victim does not go in vain." Saying that the meeting came against the backdrop about the safety of women, she referred to the brutal gang-rape that shook the nation."She is a symbol of women and children who suffer from similar fate," she said. Sonia Gandhi said "we will ensure that her death will not go in vain". Saying that certain politicians had made outrageous comments following the incident, she said: "We can not tolerate mindsets that lead to crimes against women." "Every woman, every girl in our country has the fundamental right to be secure and safe," said Sonia Gandhi. "I will personally continue to press for the Women's Reservation Bill which will allow 1/3rd reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures," she said.

The Jaipur declaration called on all secular and progressive forces to unite in ideological battle against those who polarise and divide society.

At 'Chintan Shivir', Sonia Gandhi warns young Congressmen on lavish lifestyle

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has set the tone of discussion for Congress’ Chintan Shivir that began in Jaipur on Friday. As the party readies for the 2014 elections, Sonia Gandhi urged the Congress workers to take stock of party’s strengths, weaknesses and threats and warned that the middle-class, with which the party hopes to reconnect, is fed up with corruption that they face in their daily lives.

"This is a phenomenon, a churning that we must understand and continue to respond to. We cannot allow our growing educated and middle classes to be disillusioned and alienated from the political process," said Sonia Gandhi. She also pointed out that people were now better informed and equipped than ever before and that their expectation from their government had also grown. She reminded the younger Congressmen and women, a big chunk of the 350 people invited, to be austere. An extravagant show of money, she said, would lead to the question - where does the wealth come from?

In her address, Sonia Gandhi talked about the Congress' nine years of rule at the Centre and what it had gained and lost in that time. She touched upon coalition politics, Indo-Pak relations, gender issues and crime against women and corruption, and exhorted those gathered to "speak your mind - as we are here on business that will determine our future".

 That is an immediate future, with General Elections due next year. "There is increased competition and inroads have been made in our traditional strongholds. We have to strike a fine balance between respecting alliances and ensuring rejuvenation of the party," Mrs Gandhi said, adding: "We are the only pan Indian party with a visible and viable position in every village. We articulate the concerns of all, especially the weaker sections of the society. Inclusiveness is anchored in our conviction, not the outcome of compulsion as it may be for our opponents."

The Congress hopes to emerge from the two-day-long session armed with strategy on, among other things, how to address an alienation from the middle class, seen most recently when the government it leads was found grossly inadequate in its response to spontaneous protests after the brutal gang-rape and torture of a 23-year-old medical student in a moving bus in Delhi last month.

Sonia Gandhi said, "Discrimination against the girl child and atrocities against women are a blot on our collective conscience. Sexual harassment, women trafficking and female foeticide should shake us and awaken us...Gender issues are fundamental and the entire party must bring this to the heart of political activity and change mindsets."

At a meeting on women's issues that she attended with son Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi said gender sensitivity should begin at home.

Sonia Gandhi wants jobs for youth, welfare of tribals

For Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, development means welfare of the poor. If the poor and underprivileged sections of the society are not getting the benefits and they are not able to be a part of the path of progress, we can not claim development, she always believed.

In her recent campaign for the Congress in Gujarat, Sonia Gandhi had slammed the BJP government for its false claims of development. She said that the tribals in the state are in distress and pain.  “The welfare and development of A diva sis are our prime concern but the present BJP government has not been serious in this matter. They have almost killed the Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana”. “You must be remembering that the UPA Government at the Center had waived off loan worth crores  of the poor farmers but still the condition of the farmers in Gujarat remains pathetic because of the anti-people policies of the BJP government in the state”, she added. 

Sonia Gandhi further said “Lots of youth are jobless in the state. The health and education facilities are insufficient here.  My sisters in this state have been facing atrocities because of the worsening law and order situation in the state. Why all these happening here? If the government had given attention to your problems, you would not have faced so many problems”.  The Congress President urged the people to support Congress and to bring back the state of Gujarat to the path of development.

Sonia Gandhi: There is a need to strike a balance between allies and government policies

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday while delivering her opening address at party’s Chintan Shivir at Jaipur called for unity among the Congress workers.

Sonia Gandhi, who is also the UPA chairperson, also noted that there was a need to strike a balance between allies and government policies. Sonia Gandhi highlighted the fact that the last nine years of UPA rule was a period of tremendous economic growth, social change and technological innovation. As regards the recent tensions between India and Pakistan following the killing of two Indian soldiers on the LoC, Sonia Gandhi said that dialogue with neighbours must be based on accepted principles of civilised behaviour. "Better and closer relations with our immediate neighbours will not only make for regional peace -- they will also have a positive impact on some of our own border states," she said. "However, let us be clear. Our dialogue must be based on accepted principles of civilised behaviour. We will never compromise on our vigil and preparedness to deal with terrorism and threats on our borders."

The Congress president noted that women’s security was on top of the party’s agenda, and added the issue must be discussed at length. "Atrocities on women, both in urban and rural India are a blot on our collective conscience and a matter of shame," Sonia Gandhi said.

The party is also concerned about the poor and backward classes, Sonia said, and added that inclusive growth is not a party ploy but a conviction. She also had a word of advice for partymen - to be austere.

“Lavish weddings will lead to questions on where money came from,” she said, adding brazen display of wealth corrupts people.

Among the leaders present on the dais included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister AK Antony, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora and Ambika Soni.

Sonia Gandhi – always stressed for inclusive growth

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has always been saying that a country cannot develop if everyone in our society, including the poor, downtrodden, tribals and underprivileged are not taking part in the process of development. In all her campaigns and public addresses Sonia Gandhi did underline this important aspect of development. Following her footsteps her son and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi also highlighted this point on several occasions. Rahul Gandhi also argues that till the development reaches the grass root, overall progress cannot be attained.

Sonia Gandhi always raised the issue of suicides by farmers, unavailability of Narmada water, pending electricity connections, un affordable housing, health and education, all related to common man.  Out of her extreme concern over the state of affairs of the poor she had said, “Now they talk of filling all dams in Saurashtra with Narmada water. What did they do in the past 10 years. Manmohan Singh-led government has done everything to make sure project got implemented, but the present state government failed to bring Narmada waters to Saurashtra, which is shameful”. Sonia Gandhi was deeply saddened over the farmer’s suicides. “Farmers have committed suicide. There is no water or electricity available” she had said. The Saurashtra region, which has 52 Assembly seats, saw a spate of suicides by farmers following poor monsoon this year. The Congress had announced Rs 1 lakh compensation to kin of each of the deceased farmers.

Similarly, earlier, Rahul Gandhi also had visited the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh and had personally realized the hardships of the people over there. After his successful intervention, the Congress-led Centre had sanctioned a financial package for the relief of the people over there.

BJP Government in Uttarakhand betrays the people: Sonia Gandhi

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi kick started the campaign for the Congress in poll bound Uttarakhand. She said that the present state Government has been betraying the people in the name of development. Sonia Gandhi also said that the natural treasures of Uttarakhand are being looted and the only way to prevent it is changing the present government. Taking a swap ay BJP she pointed out that by merely changing the Chief Minister won’t help as what we require is a change in the Government.

Sonia Gandhi said “For the past few years the ruling party (BJP) has been betraying the people of Uttarakhand. It tried to cover its dishonest face with mask of lies. But when the mask got unveiled they changed the Chief Minister. The truth is that though they changed the Chief Minister, nothing changed in Uttarakhand. The rampant loot and the cheating are still prevailing”.

“Only 10% of the people got the benefits of the Congress-led UPA Governments Mahatma Gandhi NREGA policy. Only 40% of the funds were utilized by the BJP Government. Unemployment has been increased. If we want to help the people of Uttarakhand, if you want to get your beautiful Uttarakhand back, if you want to protect your own rights, then only a CM-change won’t do, but the government needs to be changed. For that you will have to defeat the BJP in the coming elections and elect a Congress Government. I am confident about your support and I am sure that you will vote and elect a Congress Government” added Sonia Gandhi.

This article is posted by pressbrief.in