Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh: Rahul Gandhi today launched the Congress party's campaign in Madhya Pradesh, and told a large audience that his mother, Sonia, was anguished that she was not present in parliament when law-makers cleared the landmark welfare scheme championed by her that guarantees cheap food to nearly 70% of India's population.
Madhya Pradesh votes on November 25. The BJP and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are asking voters for a third term.
At a huge rally in Shahdol, Mr Gandhi said the BJP government has failed to combat the rampant malnutrition in the state and accused the party of trying to block the Food Security Law.
He is no 2 in the Congress party. His mother is the president of the party.
On the day that Parliament cleared the food security scheme, she attended the debate but was not present during the vote. She had been escorted to hospital a few hours earlier by Mr Gandhi where she was examined for chest pains.
(Read: Sonia Gandhi admitted at AIIMS, Prime Minister among visitors)Mr Gandhi revealed that while his mother was in the Lok Sabha, she was feeling unwell but insisted that she attend the vote on the reform, widely expected by her party to serve as a major vote-getter in the approaching elections in five states including Madhya Pradesh, and the national elections that are due by May.
"She was ill but she was adamant that she wanted to vote in Parliament...I dragged her to hospital. She was unable to breathe when we reached there and she had tears in her eyes. She said 'I fought for the bill and wanted to vote on it...but I couldn't' ".