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Jaya keeps Sonia waiting, then fails to show up

The much awaited joint campaign by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha in Villupuram this evening turned out to be a non-starter as the latter cancelled her visit at the last minute.

While Gandhi waited patiently for her ally, an AIADMK official announced the cancellation of Jayalalitha's visit to the large crowd that had assembled to hear the two women.

He said the AIADMK chief was delayed while campaigning in Madras South and Chengalpattu en route to Villupuram.

The disappointed crowd began thinning as Gandhi, after a forty-minute wait, ascended the dais to launch her campaign for the Congress-AIADMK combine.

She declared that the Congress alone had the expertise to provide a stable government at the Centre with a clear vision of the future.

Lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, she said the BJP had been given a chance to rule and failed miserably.

During the thirteen-month rule of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, minorities became targets of violent attacks and prices of essential commodities skyrocketed, she said.

Stating that the country is at a crucial juncture, facing internal and external challenges, Gandhi said a firm, decisive and responsible government is the need of the hour and the Congress alone can provide it.

UNI

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