AMETHI, Feb 1: The Italian-born widow of slain premier Rajiv Gandhi today told an election rally in her husband's former constituency that the conspiracy behind his 1991 murder had not been fully revealed, re|>orts AFP.

Sonia Gandhi. Joined by her Britain-based son for the first time in her current election campaign. as well as her daughter and son-in-law. made the remarks to a crowd of more than 100.000 people here.

Referring to last week’s death sentences handed out to 13 Indians and 13 Sri Lankans in connection with Gandhi's May 21. 1991 killing blamed on

Sri Lankan Tamil rebels, she said: The conspiracy behind the murder has still not been solved.

'There are some people in today's politics who made my husband's murder easy. There are some people who even today are embracing those who made the murder possible.

"I urge the government to fully probe the murder. Tilts is a basic necessity."

Sonia Gandhi this month decided to campaign for the 112-year-old Congress, in decline after ruling India for around 40 years under such leaders as Rajiv, his mother Indira Gandhi and her father

Jawaharlal Nehru.

Many Congress members want her to stand in the February-March elections and take over as party leader, but she has refused such offers for now’.

The current elections are linked to Gandhi’s murder as the Congress withdrew its key support to the outgoing minority coalition government over its refusal to drop a member party Implicated in the killing.

Welcomed by thunderous applause and lusty cheers as she got off a helicopter to address the rally in a heavily-guarded ground, the 51-year-old widow paid an emotional tribute to Amethi. a family fiefdom.

"I have unflinching love and affection for the people of Amethi. My family shall always be grateful to you.” she said.

"I am aware my decision not to fight elections from Amethi has disappointed you."

The district of Amethi, some 750 kilometres southeast of New Delhi is a rural constituency of about 1.2 million voters. Rajiv Gandhi was elected from Amethi in four elections.

Sonia Gandhi flayed the dominant Hindu nationalists, who are widely tipped to top the upcoming polls but fall short of a clear majority, and recalled the role of their Hindu allies in the 1992 razing of a historic mosque which fuelled communal violence and left some 2,000 people dead.

"People will never accept those who pull down religious structures." she said to prolonged applause. "Only Congress can deliver the goods. Only Congress can give a government representative of all

'^The coming elections are a big challenge.,.on the one side are separatist tendencies...on the other is India's future."

Jamuna Prasad Shukla, a former Congress legislator, said Satish Sharma, the Congress candidate in Amethi and a personal choice of Soma Gandhi, would win easily.

"Satish will win not because the people of Amethi want him to represent them in parliament. but because voters here want to keep it for Sonia Gandhi.

"If the Congress were to get a majority in this election. Sonia Gandhi will be prime minister in which case Satish Sharma will have to resign from parliament to enable her to fight elections from here."