Sonia`s dig at Third Front: as PM candidates as parties

Davanagere (Karnataka), Mar 23 (PTI) Launching her
election campaign in the BJP-ruled southern Indian state of
Karnataka, Congress President Sonia Gandhi Monday had a dig at
the Third Front, expressing doubt over its longevity and
taunted the grouping for having as many Prime Ministerial
aspirants as the number of parties in it.

In her first comments on the Front, she said there is
talk of a new alliance and discussion on parties constituting
it.

"Who knows when, who and where and along with whom they
will remain", she told a rally here nearly two weeks after the
the Third Front was launched in Tumkur, also in Karnataka, on
March 12.

"There are as many prime ministers (aspirants) as the
number of parties in it", Gandhi said indicating that the
nation cannot progress under such a dispensation.

For political stability, the country needed a strong,
far-sighted and experienced government with an able and honest
leadership, she said.

Gandhi said some people are jealous of Indian progress
and different types of hurdles are being placed on its path of
development and "terrorism is such an attempt. It is a
challenge".

"But we are not like BJP or BJP people who took
terrorists lodged in our jails like guests to Afghanistan",
the Congress President said referring to Kandahar hijack
episode in which the then union minister Jaswant Singh had
accompanied terrorists in exchange for release of hostages.

She said she would like to instill trust in people that
the government is fully capable of fighting terror. PTI