Nandigram violence was unfortunate: Sonia Gandhi

STRONG WORDS: Sonia Gandhi was critical of the Left Front govt in handling Nandigram issue.

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Keywords: Violence, Nandigram

New Delhi: Preparing the ground for an inevitable electoral battle with the Left, for the first time, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has made her views clear on the violence in Nandigram in West Bengal.

Addressing a panchayat election rally in Murshidabad, Sonia Gandhi said that what happened in Nandigram was wrong and that the party is with the people of Nandigram in their difficulties.

She was critical of the Left Front government in handling the issue.

The panchayat elections in May have become important for the Congress because the party wants to increase the party's support base.

Sonia Gandhi is campaigning extensively in the two districts of Murshidabad and Maldah where the Congress has a large number of MPs. The Congress is going to take the Left head on in the panchayat polls.

Sonia Gandhi also asked all factions of her party in West Bengal to work together and asked the leaders to cooperate with new WBPCC chief Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

According to a senior leader of the party, Pradip Bhattacharya, Sonia Gandhi also urged them to reach out to the people, particularly in rural areas, to spread awareness about development programmes undertaken by the UPA government at the Centre.

Turning to the programmes of the UPA government, Sonia Gandhi said, "We are for the benefit of all sections of people and the Manmohan Singh government has initiated many schemes for the welfare and benefits for all."

The UPA Government's schemes were not for a particular state, but for all the states in the country, she said.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi were present at the meeting, which was held ahead of next month's panchayat elections in the state.

Dasmunsi, also the state Congress president, however, maintained that Gandhi's meeting had nothing to do with the panchayat polls.

(With agency inputs)