Kolar (Karnataka): Congress president Sonia Gandhi today (Apr 16, 2004) lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of unleashing tension and fear in the country during four and a half year rule of the party-led alliance and asked the people to vote it out "to save" the nation from "fascist forces".

Coming down heavily on the performance of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at an election meeting in Kolar, she said they promised to remove fear and tension in the society, but what happened in Gujarat was a "classic example" of its alleged failure to honour its promise.

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The NDA had assured to remove poverty and hunger and to control prices, but had failed to fulfil them and was following "anti-farmers' policies", she charged.

Gandhi said hunger and poverty was increasing and the farmers were in distress and blamed the NDA rule for it. One crore jobs a year was assured but the youths remained jobless, she said.

The NDA Government had also promised corruption free Government, but its tenure was riddled with "scams and rampant corruption", Gandhi alleged.

Gandhi made a scathing attack on the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits, accusing them of dividing the people on religious lines and calling them "enemies of the people".

She said if the Congress led alliance was voted to power, it would provide a "pro-poor, pro-farmer and pro-people" Government. She also sought a renewed mandate for the Congress Government led by S M Krishna in Karnataka, noting that it had implemented several welfare programmes, particularly for women and weaker sections.