Sonia hits campaign trail in Asom

Sivsagar, Mar 30 (UNI) The Congress today unleashed its most potent weapon, their President Sonia Gandhi, barely 48 hours before the first phase of Asom poll campaigning comes to an end to take on the BJP and the AGP.

She made a hurricane tour, using the twin issue of infiltration and insurgency, to assert that only the Congress can deliver the goods.

Most of the election meetings, almost four, were whistle stop tours where she urged the electorate to vote the Congress again.

Half of Asom would go to poll on April 3 and the Congress camp is buoyed by the ''Sonia affect'' even as both the AGP and BJP are fast catching up with a star-studded campaigners ranging from Hema Malini to Chandrababu Naidu.

In all the four meetings, Ms Gandhi spoke for a few minutes amid huge applause from the Congress supporters.

She spoke about peace and insurgency, reiterating that only peace could bring development.

Sonia Gandhi accused the Opposition political parties of trying to destabilise the peace process.

She reassured that the Congress would bring lasting peace.

She, however, did not speak about the ongoing ULFA peace process.

The supporters broke into another round of applause, approving the fact that after the poll, peace process with the ULFA would yield some results.

Speaking about infilitration, she repeated the old line, ''The Congress is not with the infiltrators but it would also not allow the harassment of genuine Indian citizens. All screening must be done through tribunals.''

In Asom, Mrs Gandhi expectedly emphasised on the insurgency and infiltration issue and not the office of profit matter. In Silchar and Chaygaon, where the minority population was dominant, she stressed more on the infiltrators issue but in Upper Asom, her thrust was on insurgency. At Silchar, Sonia alleged that in Asom, AGP and BJP were creating communal divide in the name of infiltration issue.

''To create Hindu-Muslim divide is a game these two Opposition parties play in Asom. However, Congress all along tried to maintain traditional harmony in the state,'' Mrs Gandhi said.

Referring to the infiltration problem, she said, ''After scrapping of the IMDT Act by an order of the Supreme Court, the Congress government in Asom had not harassed a single Indian.

Congress ensures that not a single Indian national be dealt with unlawfully in the absence of a law like IMDT.'' Realising the importance of infiltration issue at minority dominated Barak valley, she justified a proposed substitute Act for IMDT, saying that any such initiative was not intended to protect Bangladeshis, but to safeguard interest of the Indian citizens.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Union Minister Bijoy Krishna Handique helped her to prioritize the issues as per the local need.

The Congress camp all over Upper Asom is upbeat that her visit would give the much needed impetus as they had been traditionally dominating the entire upper Asom belt. ''We are confident that Congress will do well in Upper Asom,'' said Mr Gogoi, urging votes for all the candidates.

The Congress has so far maintained a low profile with the only outside notable face in the campaigning being Digvijay Singh, the Congress-in-charge of the state.

In comparison, the BJP have brought in party stalwarts L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Venkiah Naidu, Rajnath Singh and Hema Malini for campaigning. BJP-in-charge Pramod Mahajan has been camping here for the past three weeks.

UNI