Sonia sounds assembly poll bugle in Rajasthan

Bikaner, Sept 8 (UNI) Launching the Congress campaign for the assembly election in Rajasthan, much before the announcement of the poll schedule, party president Sonia Gandhi today lavished praise on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for clinching the ''historic'' Indo-US nuclear deal which she said would herald a new era in the country's progress.

Ms Gandhi also reaffirmed the UPA's government's commitment to continuing its efforts for the welfare of the people.

Addressing a public meeting at Barsinghar, near here, this afternoon, she said the signing of the nuclear accord with the US would not only end three decades of India's nuclear isolation but also paves the way for speeding up the development process in the country.

In her ten-minute speech, Ms Gandhi listed the major steps taken by the UPA government for the people's welfare and criticised the BJP government in Rajasthan for non-performance.

The Congress president was here to launch mining operations at the NLC lignite mine.

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