Gift of Goan lamp overwhelms Sonia

Panaji, Feb 22 (UNI) Overwhelmed by the gift of a traditional brass lamp from a Seva Dal worker, AICC president Sonia Gandhi said she would use it on Diwali every year with humility.

On receiving the gift, which is symbol of typical Goan traditional handicraft, at the huge Party workers convention this evening, Mrs Gandhi said a similar lamp had been gifted from Goa to ''my mother-in-law (Indira Gandhi)'' and it was being used on every Diwali.

She praised Goans for living in the ''beautiful state with pluralistic traditions and amity''.

Thousands of people, particularly women, rushed nearer to the podium barricades to greet her and it had become difficult for the police to control the crowd.

Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane, GPCC president Ravi Naik, AICC secretaries Margret Alva (Goa desk incharge), Mukul Wasnik and Siddharth Patel were present on the dais.

Mrs Alva urged partymen to be more disciplined and work unitedly to serve the people. She pointed out that it was for the first time that Mrs Gandhi had visited Goa after formation of the Congress-led government.

Mrs Gandhi attended a dinner hosted by Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane at his Altinho official residence along with the Cabinet colleagues.

On her arrival today from Malvan in Maharashtra, Mrs Gandhi drove straight to the Raj Bhavan and later reached the Campal grounds to address the workers convention.

She would lay the foundation stone for a Rs 500-crore IT Habitat at Dona Paula Plateau and launch DTH-TV scheme for panchayats, orpnahages and social clubs before leaving for Ozhar in Maharashtra tomorrow.

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