Sonia makes her mark in Guwahati

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">GUWAHATI: On the International Women''s Day Congress president Sonia Gandhi accused the BJP of targeting her only because she was a woman.<br /><br />Addressing a mammoth gathering of women drawn from across the seven northeastern states at the northeast convention of the International Women''s Day here on Monday the Congress president said, "Women participation is much more in this region than the rest of the country. But, sadly women development does not find a place in the NDA agenda. They (NDA) fear the progress of women. The BJP is targeting me only because I am a woman," she said to thunderous applause of slogans of "Sonia Zindabad" from the women crowd.<br /><br />To prove her point that the Congress would be different than the NDA as far as women development was concerned, she promised top priority to development of women and even announced some new initiatives the Congress would take if voted to power in the parliamentary elections.<br /><br />She promised that if the Congress comes to power, preferences would be given women co-operative societies for issuing licenses for ration shops, while the housing scheme like Indira Awas Yojana would be sanctioned on demands from women. <br /><br />She also promised better education facilities for the girl child and strengthen women-run self-help groups throughout the country in what she said would be an attempt to realise her "dream" to make "every women walk with their heads held high."<br /><br />Promises being made, Sonia then appealed to the women "Come together. And we will do it." She then got the women chant after, "We will do it" and the crowd went into a frenzy. <br /><br />She said that the NDA government was projecting a false image of itself with the public money. "We have got to raise a strong voice against this wrong image. They say that no one has developed India after Independence. But, what you see today is Nehru’s dream, Indira’s struggle and Rajiv’s hard work."<br /><br />Earlier in the day Sonia drove to the Veterinary Ground straight from the airport as she was denied any road shows by the security agencies. Though the NSUI wing made a small gathering by the road side near the airport, who waved Congress flags, Sonia was not allowed to stop by and meet them as she has been doing in her road shows in the rest of the country. <br /><br /><formid=367815></formid=367815></div> </div>