Even when the entire election campaign of Bharatiya Janta Party’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi hangs around raising corruption of Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, bringing in much embarrassment to the Gandhi family, some still Congressmen feel that only Priyanka Gandhi would now do `magic’ to revive this longest serving Party in the country.
Interestingly unable to put their wish at the right platform, the Congress leaders, who feels that both Sonia and Rahul had now lost their `charisma’ to woo voters, had put hoarding to air their demand before the Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
In Allahabad posters reportedly seen urging the Congress president Sonia Gandhi to give way for her daughter to take charge of the party. “ Maiya do adesh, Priyanka badahey Congress ka kad’(mother give order,so that Priyanka could increase the stature of Congress) and “Wakt Ki Pukar Priyanka Gandhi” were the two hoardings and posters seen in the Sangam city after the lok Sabha results were declared.
In lucknow too, a hoarding erected outside the UP Congress office by Vinod Mishra, an office bearer of the UP Congress says that ‘ Phir Ab Hogi Bunda, Bandi, Desh Ki Maang Priyanka Gandhi.” UP Congress leaders were tight-lipped over the issue but they do not rule out that Priyanka Gandhi was the only option left for revival of the party in UP as well as in the country. Congress leaders from the Allahabad Congress had also gathered outside AICC headquarters in New Deldhi on Friday last demanding Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into active politics to ‘rescue’ the party.
About two dozen workers led by a party worker Jagdish Sharma shouted slogans in favour of Priyanka outside the party headquarters as the trends showed Congress clocking its worst-ever performance in any lok Sabha polls. They waved placards with screaming slogans ‘Wakt Ki Pukar Priyanka Gandhi’.
They were also holding placards with photos of Rahul Gandhi. Sharma had said that while Rahul Gandhi has worked hard, the time now demands that Priyanka Gandhi should also work shoulder to shoulder with the party Vice President. “Had Priyanka Gandhi campaigned earlier, the results would have been different,” he claimed. A few days back, some posters of Priyanka had surfaced in Allahabad which said, ‘Bhaiya ko bhi hai Bahana ki darkar, Priyanka Party Ka Karo Prachar, UPA Ki Sarkar Banao Teesri Baar (Even the brother needs the sister, Priyanka you campaing for the party and help to form UPA government for the third time).’
Demand of Priyanka Gandhi’s larger role is frequently demanded by the party workers, who has so far strictly confined herself to campaigning in only two Parliamentary seats of Raebareli and Amethi represented by her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi.
In October last too, Congress leaders from Allahabad, had put up posters asking Priyanka to contest from the Phulpur constituency, but they were suspended by the Party last year particularly for using objectionable words regarding Sonia Gandhi’s health.