BJP has not kept any promise: Sonia

By Arunkumar Bhatt

LATUR (MAHARASHTRA), OCT. 29. The Congress president and Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, today accused the BJP-led Government at the Centre of having ``betrayed'' the countrymen on every count by not keeping a single promise it had given while seeking re-election two years ago.

The industrial sector had turned sick and the Government was selling off public sector units one after another leading to added unemployment and now the Government was planning to slash the expenditure on agriculture in the next Five-Year Plan.

Addressing a gathering of farmers and party members here after inaugurating a cooperative sugar mill set up by Mr. Amit Deshmukh, son of the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ms. Gandhi said the ruling coalition had come to power making all sorts of promises as if it had a magic wand. A corruption-free government was promised but, in reality corruption had crossed all limits. ``Even those who were charged with corruption were taken back into the Government,'' she alleged.

Referring to the ongoing war against terrorism in Afghanistan and its likely fallout on India and the disturbances in Maharashtra's Malegaon town, she said the need of the hour was peace, unity, brotherhood and goodwill.

The cooperative sector in Maharashtra deserved praise and was worthy of emulation. The Maharashtra Government had done well in the past two years despite coalition limitations. The Chief Minister said the sugar factory, Vikas Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd., was set up in a record eight months on a capital outlay of Rs. 28 crores. The cooperative sector in the State had an annual turnover of Rs. 70,000 crores, thrice the size of the State budget, and had become an engine of progress and development.

This is the second sugar factory promoted by the Deshmukhs. Earlier in 1987, Mr. Deshmukh had set up the Manjra Shetkar Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, considered one of the best-run cooperatives in the country, having won 40 national awards for performance, efficiency and technology use.

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