The decision of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to resign from the Lok Sabha and retain his assembly seat to take the party forward by staying put in Uttar Pradesh, has now raised demands within UP Congress that Priyanka Gandhi adopt a similar stand and not just make occasional presence.
“Akhilesh had taken a right decision and now Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should also immediately take a similar stand as UP politics cannot be done by staying in Delhi. One has to join the day to day struggle with the people of the state by staying amongst them," opined a former UP Congress president.
"During the last two years, Priyanka has been active as far as other Opposition party leaders are concerned. But she chose to work from New Delhi and only made occasional presence during protests in the state which sent the wrong message amongst the masses that she preferred doing politics from the national capital," the Congress leader said.
"We fought the assembly poll showcasing Priyanka’s face but when questions crop up of her leading the party as a chief ministerial candidate, she outrightly denied it which spoiled all the hard work made by her to strengthen the party organization in Uttar Pradesh," the former UP Congress chief said.
"The Congress desperately needs a `face’ which the people could look forward to as an alternative. Take the example of four-time chief minister and BSP chief Mayawati. During the last five years and even during the pandemic, the BSP chief was seen nowhere and as a result her party performed worse than the Congress getting just one assembly seat," he said.
Another senior Congress leader Zeeshan Haider, who was expelled recently, supported Priyanka Gandhi taking command in UP and not working from New Delhi.
"I demanded Priyanka's resignation as she too was responsible for the worst ever poll defeat of the Congress in UP. She worked and took all decisions on the advice of her secretary Sandeep Singh. Had Priyanka camped in UP and taken decisions in consultation with senior party leaders, the poll outcome would have been better. How can the country’s oldest political outfit be run by a non-political staff," asserted Haider.
Earlier in 2019, after the humiliating defeat in the last Lok Sabha elections, Priyanka had announced to make Lucknow as her base to strengthen the party. She also made her permanent office here at UPCC headquarters besides temporarily shifting to the `Kaul House’.
But she never made Lucknow her base and only made short visits to attend party meetings or lead demonstrations.