Cong fighting to protect nation from divisive forces: Sonia Gandhi

In a televised address on Monday, Congress President Sonia Gandhi urged voters to vote for the party in the upcoming elections and steer clear of “divisive” forces, taking an indirect shot at the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi. [caption id=“attachment_1459121” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sonia Gandhi. Agencies.[/caption] “We want unity. They want to impose uniformity. They say, ‘just believe in me’. We are fighting elements that have tied us down,” she said. “The Congress ideology and vision, will continue to take us towards a healthy, free democracy open to the light of change and transformation. Their vision, clouded with hatred and falsehood, their ideology, divisive and autocratic, will drive us to the ruination of our Bharatiyata, our Hindustaniyat,” she said She urged voters to have faith in the Congress. “Believe in our intentions,in our achievements:a high rate of growth, inclusive development,strong democratic institutions,” she said. Gandhi went on spell out the vision of the Congress claiming that she and the party were struggling to create a nation where the citizenry controlled governance, not just a privileged few. “My heart says you will choose the right path and not the wrong path. The right path is the path of the Congress,” she said. Gandhi had begun her address by saying that she believed that a diverse nation like India has always been united because it was founded on a few core principles. Referring to her European heritage, she remarked: “I learnt these (the beliefs) from you, as you made me one of your own.” “What are these values that are the very heart and soul of our motherland? They are love, respect, harmony and brotherhood. In a word, non-violence,” she added. Speaking in Hindi, she said the the Congress was fighting to protest these values. “It is this, very heart and soul of India, that we are fighting to protect in this election, from those who seek to change it, and to divide us,” she said making a veiled reference to Modi.