Friday, February 11 2005 15:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ghatsila (Jharkhand): Congress President Sonia Gandhi and JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) chief Sibu Soren shared the stage for the first time in Jharkhand at an election rally at Moubhandar near the copper town in Ghatsila today (Feb 11, 2005).

The sharing of the stage by the two leaders comes on the heels of Soren's claims at an election meeting in Dhanbad yesterday (Feb 10, 2005) that the Congress chief had assured him support to be Chief Minister after the Assembly polls.

Speaking at the rally, Sonia lambasted the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government in Jharkhand for lack of development and appealed to the people to throw it out as starvation deaths, unemployment, corruption and loot had increased during its rule.

The NDA, she said, had lost the May Parliament polls due to their 'misrule'. ''NDA is self-interest oriented Government and was worried only about its chair,'' she said adding that the alliance's four year-rule had crushed the aspirations of the tribal masses of the State.

''The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has always worked for the welfare of the adivasi community. Indiraji and Rajivji had a special soft corner for the adivasis and were always prepared to do something good for them,' 'she said.

Continuing her tirade against the NDA Government, she said that it had failed to hold Panchayat polls and assured that it would be done if the UPA Government came to power.

An identical alliance in power at the Centre and the State would help in accelerated development, she said and assured all necessary steps would be taken to reopen the closed copper mines in Ghatsila area if the UPA came to power.