Shillong, Apr 13: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday said the country needed a strong and stable government to protect and promote secular values and communal harmony.

"The country needs a government that is strong and stable and will protect and promote secular values and communal harmony. Only Congress can give such a government," Sonia Gandhi said while addressing an election rally here.

Gandhi reiterated that the Indo-US nuclear deal would reap the benefit in the long run.

Shillong, April 13: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday criticized senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishan Advani stating that the Kandahar episode and the 2001 Parliament attack had occured when he was the Union Home Minister of the country.

"When Advaniji was the home minister, a terrorist who was captured and kept in jail here was released and escorted as a guest to Afghanistan. The terrorist then went to Pakistan and planned attacks against India, including the attack on our Parliament," she told an election rally at Shillong on Monday.

Thiruvanthapuram, Apr 13 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani on Monday asked Congress President Sonia Gandhi to apologise for her critical remarks on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in a recent election meeting in Jharkhand.

Addressing a press conference here, Advani said that he was shocked to hear Gandhi''s statement that, "we are in greater danger from people inside than from foreign terrorists entering India".

Although Sonia Gandhi did not particularly mention a party''s name, Advani said it "substantially accuses us and the comments were clear".

Shillong, Apr 13 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address a public rally at the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex here today.

She will address a rally in support of party candidate Vincent H Pala and Deborah C Marak for the Shillong and Tura Parliamentary seats respectively.

The two Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls in the first phase of election on April 16.

Security has been tightened in view of Sonia''s visit.

Around 1,500 armed police personnel have been pressed into service to avoid any kind of untoward incident.

Shillong, Apr 12 : Security has been tightened in Shillong in view of a shutdown call given by a rebel tribal group to protest against Congress party president Sonia Gandhi''s visit on Monday.

A 24-hour shutdown called by Khasi rebel group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) started at 6:00 a. m.

Around 1,500 armed police personnel have been pressed into service to avoid any kind of untoward incident ahead of her visit.

A team of Special Protection Group (SPG) met state police officials to review security arrangements.

Ranchi, Apr 11 : United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said that over half of the country comprises of youths, and they could usher a change and a revolution in the country.

"This is a country of youths. There are around 70 percent youths in our country today. Who can bring the change? Only the young generation can bring change. This is a century of change and revolution," Gandhi told an election rally here.