Sonia woos minorities

Mumbai, Dec 23 (UNI) Congress president Sonia Gandhi today launched the party campaign for the February 1 elections to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) by highlighting the UPA government's agenda for minorities, dalits and tribals as also the Centre's commitment to develop the metropolio into an international economic hub.

Along with BMC, elections would be simultaneously held in 9 other cities of the State.

''The Centre is commited to developing Mumbai into an international economic hub....it has approved 13 projects for development of water-based transport and infrastructure and sanctioned several projects for housing, sewerage and drinking water supply,'' she said while addressing the party rally in jam-packed Shivaji Park here late this afternoon amid unprecedented security.

All roads in the vicinity of the rally site were closed to vehicular traffic and an elaborate security umberella was thrown across the venue to thwart any untoward incident. The rally, attended by a large number of women, passed off peacefully.

Notwithstanding the denials about the purpose of the rally made by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, his cabinet colleague Narayan Rane and city Congress chief Gurudas Kamat, the AICC president harped on the UPA government's 15-point programme for uplift of minorities, backward classes, adivasis (scheduled tribes) and women, adding it has already passed the Bill ensuring reservation for OBC students in higher education.

The Chief Minister and his colleagues claimed that today's rally was planned two months ago to mark the 121st Foundation Day of the Congress on December 28, adding it is a coincidence that the State Election Commission announced polls for 10 civic bodies. He recalled Ms Gandhi had also attended the Foundation Day rally held in Mumbai last year.

Ms Gandhi said the Congress had decided to celebrate its Foundation Day every year in the place of its birth - Mumbai. '' This is the place where Quit India Movement of 1942 was born and it is also the place which is very close to my heart because it was here where Rajivji was born,'' she added.

Recalling the Dalit killings at Khairlanji , Ms Gandhi, who had recently granted audience in Delhi to the lone survivor of the victim family - Bhaiyalal Bhotmange - expressed the hope that Central Bureau of Investigation will complete the probe quickly and give justice to the victim family whose four members were killed by a mob on September 29, triggering protests by Dalits across Maharashtra for over two months.

Ms Gandhi, who paid tributes to Dr B R Ambedkar at his memorial Chaityabhoomi near Shivaji Park before addressing the rally, said the dalit killings were a ''matter of shame.'' The State government, under pressure built up by Dalit organisations , handed over the investigation to CBI last month.

Without naming the ruling combine of Shiv Sena and BJP in BMC ....X X X EDS picking up here from opening para of BY21, Politics-Mah-Sonia two last Mumbai.

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