DAVANGERE: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has said that the name “Congress” was coined by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle to bring people together in the fight for Independence. But the Congress party today was trying to market the name and image for political gains, he alleged.

Addressing a meeting as part of his election campaign at Nyamathi on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said that Gandhiji had repeatedly sought to erase the name “Congress” after Independence, and wanted to ensure that no political party misused the word. Unfortunately, today’s Congress party continued to have the name only to misguide people.

He alleged that the Congress had won for so many years only because it was riding high on image and reputation. Now the people had realised the difference between the party led by Gandhiji and that led by the current crop of leaders. He said many old people were still under the impression that the present Congress party was the old one that had fought for freedom and that Sonia Gandhi was related to the Mahatma.

Mr. Yeddyurappa alleged that the Congress had misruled the country for over five decades, and owing to this the poor still remained poor and the rich had progressed. The gap between the haves and have-nots had widened, he said and added that the country was facing serious social problems such as poverty and unemployment.