Sonia Gandhi with Andhra’s Congress chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy at Renigunta airport near Tirupati on her way to commission the Krishnapatnam port on Thursday. (PTI)

New Delhi/Nellore, July 17: As the Manmohan Singh government braces for a critical trust vote in New Delhi, Sonia Gandhi swivelled into election mode today, vigorously defending the nuclear deal and flaying allegations from the Left and the BJP that the agreement was a “sellout”.

Addressing a huge public meeting, her first since the Left withdrew support to the UPA over the nuclear deal, Sonia said: “We do not need any certificate from any party or anybody about our patriotism. Let me tell you there is no question of compromising on the issue… future generations will recognise the value of this agreement, the value of what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is doing today.”

Coming a day after Rahul Gandhi’s strong advocacy of the deal even if it meant “losing the government”, Sonia’s emphatic and unequivocal espousal of the Prime Minister and the nuclear deal are a clear signal that the Congress is ready to go to elections on the issue.

Sonia made no direct reference to Tuesday’s trust vote, but it is apparent she is already taking the deal beyond the pros and cons of parliamentary arithmetic and throwing the debate to the electorate.

The Congress boss — accompanied by chief party spokesperson and vociferous deal votary Veerappa Moily — made it a point to underline the significance of her choice of venue.

“The people of Andhra Pradesh have always supported us whole-heartedly, and that is why it gives me greater pleasure to be among you,” she told the gathering.

Sonia’s tenor ties in with speculation in political circles in New Delhi that should it fail to muster a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha ahead of the trust vote, the government would prefer to seek a fresh mandate over a floor test.

The Congress’s efforts to marshal support from “undecided” parties and Independents continue but nobody’s taking a bet the party has secured a majority on the floor.

However, Sonia’s tone today seemed unbothered by the numbers game. “This deal is good for the country and the future and this is something we must have,” she asserted.

She dug into the deal’s — and the UPA’s — opponents, claiming they had no right to question the Congress’s patriotism.

“We are being accused of going against the interest of our country. Who fought for India’s independence, who brought independence to this country? Let me state before you, before the whole country categorically: there is no question of compromising on our security interests, on our nuclear programme and our independent foreign policy,” she said.

Extending her riposte with classical Congress emotionalism, Sonia added: “From which party did Indira Gandhiji and Rajiv Gandhiji, the leaders who sacrificed their lives for the country and became martyrs, come? What the country needs most is to go ahead with pride.”

Huge cutouts of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul, Sonia, Manmohan and Andhra chief minister Y.S.R. Reddy dotted the route to the stadium where the Congress president unfurled what could be the start of her election campaign.