Sonia gives wake up call to leaders

Baduria, West Bengal, Apr 20 (UNI) Congress president Sonia Gandhi today lambasted the Left Front government in West Bengal and urged the people to end its 29 years' 'misrule'.

''The three-decade Left rule brought the end of about 65,000 industrial units rendering some 60 lakh people jobless,'' she told an election rally for her party candidates here.

''I wonder how long the people of this state will suffer the misrule of the Left Front,'' she said and called upon them to make this election a memorable one.

She said the people, who took centrestage in many a struggle in the country, should now give a lesson while electing candidates.

Mrs Gandhi also called upon the leaders to follow an ethical political life to run the nation in the right path.

''If the leaders themselves are not correct, how will they reply to questions of the people who elect them as their representatives to different houses?'' she asked.

The UPA chairperson, who flew in here in an IAF chopper from Dum Dum airport, addressed more than a 1,00,000 people, who had been waiting for more than four hours to hear her.

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and AICC general secretary Margaret Alva accompanied the Congress president.

Mr Mukherjee said the Congress did not go for alliance with the Trinamool Congress since the latter was linked with the BJP-led NDA.

Security had been beefed up in the area ahead of Ms Gandhi's arrival.

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