Congress president Sonia Gandhi Thursday said that the UPA government fulfilled most of the promises made to the people in the last Lok Sabha polls and was committed to work hard to improve the lives of people if voted to power again."We have fulfilled most of the promises (that were) made last time before people," Gandhi said while addressing her first election meeting in Bihar's Sasaram parliamentary constituency.Without naming BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi who has accused the UPA government of failing to fulfill promises made during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Sonia Gandhi said the UPA government has implemented MNREGA for job guarantee in rural areas and provided an opportunity for education to all through Right to Education.She said to ensure that no one goes without food, the government implemented the Food Security Act in the country.Gandhi said the UPA government has also promulgated a new land acquisition act to protect the rights of land holders."Our rivals are levelling baseless charges against the UPA government and accusing us of doing nothing. It is far from the truth," she said.
In a reference to Modi's claims of rampant corruption, Sonia said the UPA brought the Right to Information Act to fight corruption.She said the Congress' aim is women empowerment."UPA has launched several schemes for it and provided scholarship to girls for education," the Congress president said.Sonia said the best example of the Congress's commitment to women empowerment is Meira Kumar, sitting Congress MP from Sasaram who became the first woman Lok Sabha speaker.She said the Congress manifesto has promised the right to health and added that communal harmony and peace are essential for the development of the country.Sonia cautioned people that the country is passing through an exam and people have to decide carefully whom to vote for.