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National unity, integrity alone can help us face terror, says Sonia

Rajesh Ahuja

“Some people trying to derive political mileage out of terrorism”

— PHOTO: Akhilesh Kumar

Potful of thanks: Congress president Sonia Gandhi carrying a pitcher presented to her at a rally at Panipat in Haryana on Thursday. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Union Minister of State for Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja are in the picture.

PANIPAT (Haryana): Describing terrorism as a national problem, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said it should be faced collectively.

Some people were trying to derive political mileage out of the “situation.” This came as a shot in the arm for the nation’s enemies who wanted to kill “innocent people and spread terror.”

Ms. Gandhi was addressing a rally here after launching the Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti Yojna and distributing possession letters to four of the 328 beneficiaries at Garhsharnai village.

She appealed to these people to realise that the enemy’s real intention was to destabilise the nation. “No strength other than national unity and integrity can face these challenges.”

Ms. Gandhi said the India-U.S. nuclear deal would trigger massive development in several fields, especially in power generation, and would be beneficial to the country.

Tribute to Gandhiji

Paying homage to Gandhiji, the Congress president said the biggest tribute to the Mahatma would be to work towards social unity and communal amity.

“Our success lies most in giving back to the poorest of poor [Daridra Narayan].” It was a matter of pride that Gandhi Jayanthi was declared the International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja presented to Ms. Gandhi a pitcher, symbolising the implementation of the Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Supply Scheme for the poor in Haryana.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda presented a “Charkha” to the Congress president.

He said residential plots of 100 sq. yard would be given free to the Scheduled Castes and the Backward Classes — Block A and Below Poverty Line families including the general category.

The scheme would benefit six lakh poor people and the plots would be allotted by draw of lots.

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