NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi cut a forlorn figure at Red Fort on Saturday morning with chairs on her either side of her remaining unoccupied. Union minister Nitin Gadkari was seated two seats away to her left.

The Congress chief must have felt even lonelier when the PM Narendra Modi retaliated against Congress's attacks on him through the monsoon session. Led by Sonia and son Rahul, Congress the principal opposition party had taunted him for his silence on 'Lalitgate' and the Vyapam scam. over allegations facing foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and BJP chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Vasundhara Raje.

On Saturday, however, there was no stopping Modi as he targeted UPA for graft. Referring to Coalgate, the alleged corruption in allocation of coal blocks under UPA, Modi said that the coal deposits were distributed on the basis of 'chits' - an allusion to the accusation that the coal ministry merely carried out the instructions conveyed to it by the Congress leadership.

Not the day for politics

Congress slammed the PM for skipping several key issues concerning the nation such as terrorism and foreign policy and for disappointing ex-servicemen on OROP in his Independence Day address. However, the party's top leadership refrained from speaking about the PM's speech. While Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who unfurled the national flag at the AICC headquarters, did not offer any comment, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi said, it was "not a day for politics". "Today is not a day for politics. We will talk tomorrow."

Sweat, spirit & style

The unbearable humidity in the morning failed to deter Modi from delivering the longest Independence Day address in recent times. He perspired through the speech and drank water frequently. The sweat marks became progressively larger as he continued. But the discomfort failed to dampen his spirits and style. He did not sound tired when he concluded with exhortations of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Vande Matram' and 'Jai Hind'.

He stopped to indulge the school children who had responded enthusiastically to his patriotic salutations. He was not done for the day yet. He reached out to the audience who were outside the enclosure. Security personnel who had unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to use the bulletproof shield in view of the heightened threat perception this year, looked concerned as Modi mingled with the crowd.

