Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that the Congress-led government has throughout stood up for the rights of Sri Lankan Tamils and has been in the forefront to protect the needs of the Indian fishermen.

Speaking in Kanyakumari, in her first visit to the State after the Lok Sabha elections announced, she attacked the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and put forward promises including Right to free medical care, Right to Shelter, Right to Pention, among others. She said that during the 10 years of UPA government, the economy of the country grew by 7.5 per cent on an average.

Commenting on the criticism of the political parties in Tamil Nadu that Congress has did nothing for the Tamilians in Sri Lanka, she said, “I want to ask them, is there any party, which has done more than the Congress party for the Sri Lankan Tamils? Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life while fighting for our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka. “

The party has been unwavering in its commitment to the Tamilians in Sri Lanka and the Congress-led government has throughout stood up for their rights of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Since 2009, the government has extended every kind of assistance, every kind of support, for the resettlement of internally displaced persons, for housing, for education, for connectivity and for economic revival. She urged the people, not to be mislead by the false propaganda by its opponents.

Similarly, the Congress government has been in the forefront to protect the needs of Indian fishermen and has taken initiative to get the arrested Indian fishermen released and recover their boats.

“And it is only due to our efforts that fishermen of both the countries, of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, were able to meet in January this year, to discuss together, how to find solutions to their problems. I can tell you that it took considerable time and effort to obtain the concurrence of the AIADMK government here to allow for this meeting,” she added.

Mentioning the party’s commitment to bring in Right to free medical care, Right to Shelter, Right to Pention, among others, she said that if the Congress led government comes to power, she will do her best to see some of the demands of people in Kanyakumari, including a double track broadguage railway project up to Kanyakumari, safeguarding the interest of the people living in the forest area and fishermen, an airport in Kanyakumari and a central university, to be fullfilled.

She criticised that the BJP is in the hands of one individual. “This individual claims to have the solution for all the problems of India. He claims that if he comes to power, India will become a paradise. You must reject the unbridled ambition of this one individual,” she said.

She added that leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives to safeguard the idea of India, which is as a country that stands on the side of secularism, of diversity, of equal opportunity, of reservation for the Dalits, the Scheduled Caste and Tribes and other backward classes, for the minotories, women and children.

The Congress President added that during the last 10 years of the UPA government, the economy has grown on an average of 7.5 per cent and lifted 14 crore people out of poverty. Schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, the mid day meal scheme and the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana, has benefited much in a State like Tamil Nadu.

“We have provided credit of Rs 37,000 crore to women self help group. We have provided education loans and scholarships to the tune of Rs 55,000 crore,” she added. Some people may say that the Congress in Tamil Nadu is alone, but judging the crowd in the public meeting, the Congress is not alone, she said, Business Standard reports.