Kottayam (Kerala): Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in an emotionally charged speech on Wednesday, hit back at her late husband Rajiv Gandhi's detractors who criticised him for leaning heavily on the development of information technology and telecommunication when he was the prime minister.

"He was bitterly criticised, attacked, ridiculed and tagged as an elitist when he ushered in a revolution in the IT and telecommunication sector. But he persevered with it and today, yesterday's critics have now taken over the legacy of his," Gandhi said.