Claiming that they would still fight of front-foot despite of going alone in Uttar Pradesh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the bringing in his sister Priyanka Vadra and Jyoitraditya Scindia, is just first step in this regard. He claimed that the youth leaders would now write new era to the history of this State adding that Bharatiya Janta Party is now living under a fear of losing the battle of ballots.
``We are still not avert to talking with the Samajwadi Party or Bahujan Samaj Party over going together but I wanted to make it clear that we will not fight on back-foot but would take the battle on front-foot showing that the Congress is as powerful as it was earlier and it was a mistake to write us off”, asserted Rahul while claiming that he still give full respect to both Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, even when they ignored them while announcing the alliance. “We still have door opens for larger alliance and anyone who can defeat the BJP is welcome,” he said while indicating that Congress wants to take one-to-one with the BJP in UP. “If SP and BSP wants to talk with us for a big alliance in UP, then they are welcome to join us, there is no problem in it,” Rahul said but we know that Akhilesh and Mayawati too wants to defeat the BJP.
In his first reaction after appointment of his sister Priyanka as the Party general secretary, Rahul said that the decision was taken to strengthen the party and this two powerful Congress leaders including Jyotiradtiya will pave way for the spread of the Congress ideology of the youths, fathers and other section of the society. “I trust Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyoitraditya Scindia. We will not play on the backfoot,” he told reporters at Fhursatganj. He further said that the Party has appointed both the leaders in a permanent basis in UP and had not sent Priyanka and Jyotiraditya for just two months or till the Lok Sabha polls.
“I have sent them to take Congress’ ideology forward in Uttar Pradesh. Our ideology is of standing and fighting for the poor, for the youth, for the farmers. Both Priyanka and Jyotiraditya are very capable and dynamic, and will surely take Congress forward in UP,” he added. The sudden appointment of Priyanka on the day Rahul visiting UP, has changed the political dynamics in the state which will elect 80 Lok Sabha members in next three month time when Congress has announced to contest the elections alone against the BJP and the SP-BSP alliance. When asked if Priyanka would be contesting the Lok Sabha polls, he said,” It is up to Priyanka to take a decision.”
“I have already said that now Congress will not play on the backfoot and will only bat on the front foot in UP and elsewhere,” The Congress president said.
He said that by appointing both these leaders, the most powerful in the party, it want to change the political atmosphere in UP and to change the thinking of the people that Congress has no plan for the largest state of the country.
Meanwhile, UP Congress MLC and a close confident of Rahul and Priyanka, Deepak Singh hailed the decision of the party to appoint Priyanka and Jotiyraditya Scindia as the party’s new in-charge of UP. “This strategy will work intensively in the Lok Sabha polls and it will not stop till 2022, the next assembly polls in UP,” Singh said.
Earlier Rahul Gandhi was given a warm welcome here at Airport by senior leaders including Raj Babbar, Sanjay Singh, Pramod Tewari, Deepak Singh, Ajay Kumar `Lallu’, Aradhana Mishra `Mona’, Vinod Mishra and others. Sources said that during interaction, Rahul asked the leaders to get ready as the Party would now go in alliance. When party’s state general secretary and in-charge of Lucknow district Vinod Kumar Mishra while interacting with Rahul Gandhi thanked him for announcing to go alone in the Lok Sabha polls in UP as the party workers are happy with the central leadership decision, the party president responded with pat on the back of the state leader and assuring him that the workers sentiment would be respected and Congress will contest alone in UP.
Meanwhile in Amethi, Rahul Gandhi was greeted with posters hailing him as the next prime minister.
Posters stating “Amethi Ka MP, 2019 Ka PM”, “Mission 2019 - Vidhan Sabha Tiloi Welcomes soon-to-be Prime Minister Rahul Gandhi”, “Abhi to Jeete Teen Pradesh, 2019 Mein Jeetengey Pura Desh” dotted the skyline of the constituency. It was Gandhi’s fist visit to his constituency after the party’s stupendous victory in the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The posters hailing the Congress chief as the next PM came up in most parts of the constituency like Jais and Gauriganj.