Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Friday pitched herself as the party’s Chief Ministerial face in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls as she released a “youth manifesto” for the State, along with her brother Rahul Gandhi.
Priyanka, who has been leading from the front in the crucial poll-bound State, however, evaded queries on whether she would contest the Assembly polls. At the same time, she said the Congress would be open to a post-poll alliance if the need arose. Rahul on his part chose to attack the BJP alleging that those preaching Hindutva are spreading hatred in the cyber world.
“Do you see any other face from the Congress party,” Priyanka said when asked who would be the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. “You are seeing my face everywhere,” the Priyanka added while addressing the joint Press conference with Rahul to release the “Bharti Vidhan” (recruitment document) manifesto that promises a new vision for youth in the State and the creation of 20 lakh jobs, including eight lakh for women.
To a question on whether she would herself contest the Assembly polls, Priyanka said, “We have not yet decided.” She said it would be known once that is decided.
The Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh said the party would certainly look at supporting other parties for Government formation and was open to backing them if the situation were to arise after the elections.
She, however, said the Congress would keep implementing its vision for youth, especially women, as a priority while extending any such support for Government formation in UP. “We would be open to considering that. If such a situation arises, then we would certainly want our agenda for the youth and women to be fulfilled if we were going to be part of any such dispensation,” she said to a question on whether the Congress would support other parties in Government formation.
The party has resolved to fill the “massive backlog” of jobs in the public sector and promised 20 lakh jobs, including eight lakh for women, in their manifesto for the youth. The campaign in Uttar Pradesh is very negative and is centred around caste and religion, Priyanka said, adding that the Congress is moving away from this to present a development oriented roadmap.
Addressing the media, Rahul stressed that the country needs a new vision and their document is “not hollow words” but drafted after consulting youth whose views are reflected in it. “There are polls in UP and the youth there need a new vision and only the Congress party can give that vision to the state,” the former Congress chief said.
“We don’t spread hatred, we work to unite people and we want to build a new Uttar Pradesh driven by the strength and confidence of youth in the state,” he said.
In Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said, 880 youth lose their jobs everyday and over 16 lakh youth have been rendered unemployment in the last five years of BJP rule. The Prime Minister promised to provide two crore jobs every year to youth and the entire country is seeing the truth, he said.
“Our understanding and our belief is that India requires a new vision. The vision that was proposed by the BJP in 2014 has completely failed. It is a disaster and it is turning our demographic dividend into a demographic disaster. India requires a new vision going forward,” he told reporters when asked about the need for such a manifesto focussed on youth.
Even people in the BJP, he alleged, admit that something has gone “very wrong” and the vision that was committed to has failed. Uttar Pradesh would lead the country in jobs and was the centre of the resistance to the British. It was from where the far-reaching ideas came from, he noted, adding that the manifesto is a step towards providing a vision for the country and the Congress believes this has to begin in Uttar Pradesh.
Countering the “untoward remarks” on social media, Rahul said those preaching Hindutva are spreading hatred in the cyber world. Calling them cowards, he said they do not have the courage to come out in the open and asked supporters to fight the ‘hatred’. “’Hindutvavadis’ have been spreading hatred in the cyber world because cowards only attack while hiding. Had they mustered enough courage, they would have come forward. We need to be strong and keep tackling this hatred - the country needs to be saved! #NoFear,” Rahul tweeted in Hindi.