Priyanka to lead Women’s Day march in Lucknow today

LUCKNOW: : Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lead a march from the 1090 Crossing to the Veerangana Uda Devi Crossing (Sikandarbagh) in Lucknow on Tuesday to mark the International Women’s Day.

The move shows the Congress is taking its “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon” (I am a girl, I can fight) campaign beyond the 2022 Uttar Pradesh poll arena. The Tuesday’s special programme giving a push to women empowerment comes a day after the end of voting for all the seven phases of the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

The party is ensuring participation of women MLAs and MPs and leading women from different walks of life from various states at the event. The Congress has also invited all its 159 women candidates in the 2022 assembly elections in the state.

“Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is leading a march for encouragement of women candidates in 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. For the Congress, the slogan, “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon”, is not merely an election issue. Instead, this is an issue for women empowerment,” said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee media department vice-president Pankaj Srivastava.

All India Mahila Congress president Netta D’Souza also briefed the media about the Congress’s proposed march on the International Women’s Day. She also said the “Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon” was not just an election campaign, but a momentum launched to empower women.

The Congress promised 40 per cent tickets to women candidates in 2022 assembly elections. Keeping the promise, it gave 159 tickets to women for the 403member state assembly. It also made various promises, including giving an electric scooty each to girls who graduate. It organised Shakti Sammelans for women in various constituencies. The Congress candidates included the mother of a rape survivor in Unnao, victims of violence in Shahjahanpur, and those who raised their voice for a cause.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra focused her election campaign on causes concerning the women and the youth. She spoke about her journey from 2019 when she was appointed Congress general secretary incharge of east UP. She also mentioned her visits to meet the families of rape victims in Unnao and Hathras.

At public meeting marking the end of her 2022 campaign in Ghazipur on Saturday (March 5), she declared her decision to continue to work for the people irrespective of the assembly election outcome in Uttar Pradesh.

“As far as I am concerned, I have decided about myself. I will not leave you whatever is the result (on counting day on March 10). Uttar Pradesh is the land of my ancestors. The blood of my ancestors is there in this land. I will continue to fight for you till a new way of politics of truth begins from here,” she said.

Political analysts are attaching much significance to Priyanka’s move to continue actively working for the Congress in the state even after the polls. In view of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress would like to use the intervening period as an opportunity for its revival.