Priyanka comes to Manmohan's defence

When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia and party vice-president Rahul maintained a stoic silence over the claims in a recent book, Priyanka was more forthcoming and reacted strongly and maintained that Manmohan was a "super Prime Minister".

While campaigning for Rahul at Amethi on Tuesday, Priyanka defended the party which was facing Opposition's animadversion in the wake of claims made in the book that Sonia was the remote control in the UPA Government and Manmohan only played a second fiddle to her. "Manmohan was a super PM," Priyanka told reporters in reply to a question about the book by PM's former aide Sanjaya Baru.

Asked about Congress president Sonia Gandhi's appeal on various TV channels on Monday night, Priyanka said: "Whatever the BJP might say, but the fight of India's heart is going on". She chose not to elaborate. Sonia had said in her appeal that the current lok Sabha election was a fight to protect "the very heart and soul of India" from those who wanted to divide the country. Without naming either Narendra Modi or the BJP in her telecast, Sonia had said: "We want unity. They want divisiveness."Meanwhile, Congress's star campaigner Priyanka, while campaigning for her brother in Amethi, emphasised that there was "no wave" of anyone in the lok Sabha poll. 

Addressing party workers at Munshiganj guest house, Priyanka exuded confidence that the Congress would once again form the Government at the Centre. She pointed out that Rahul had prepared a platform of development in Amethi and that would give good results in the days to come. Stating that Congress was the only party which did  not profess politics of caste or religion, Priyanka asked party workers to highlight achievements of the Manmohan Singh Government among the masses. Striking an emotional chord with party workers,Priyanka said the people of Amethi were a part of her family as her father had worked there, adding that her family had never nurtured political ambitions.

When party workers mentioned about other contenders like BJP candidate Smriti Irani and AAP's Kumar Vishwas, Priyanka said people would come and go but the constituency was her family. Priyanka met office-bearers appealing them to campaign intensely for creating a political environment in Amethi and ensure Rahul's victory with a huge margin. After landing at the Fursatganj airstrip, she drove to the guest house of Sanjay Gandhi hospital at Munshiganj. later, in the evening, Priyanka was expected to leave for Rae Bareli.