Goal is to present new dream: Rahul
AMETHI : Welcoming the entry of his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into active politics, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said his party wanted to change UP’s politics through young and dynamic leaders.
Rahul’s comments came hours after the Congress appointed Priyanka as the AICC general secretary in-charge of eastern UP, and gave the charge of western UP to Jyotiraditya Scindia.
“Priyanka and Jyotiraditya have been sent to UP on a mission and not only for two months. We want to change the state’s politics with young and dynamic leaders. They are very powerful leaders of the Congress and will work for the state. I am very happy that my sister will assist me in UP,” Rahul said. “If you are a youth from the state, we want to realise a new dream with you. This is a very good step and has made the BJP jittery,” he added.
Asked about the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said he had no enmity with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party and his party would cooperate with them to defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha elections.
“We respect both Mayawati ji and Akhilesh ji. They have formed an alliance. Our objective is to defeat BJP. We have no enmity with them (SP-BSP). We love them and have a lot of similarities in ideology,” he said.
“We have to fight for the Congress’s ideology and we will fight with our full might in UP. If they (SP-BSP) want to talk to us, we have no issues. We will cooperate with them wherever required,” Rahul said.
The Congressmen, who had gathered to accord a rousing welcome to Rahul as this was his first visit to his constituency after the party’s victory in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, welcomed the decision with celebrations.
As Rahul’s cavalcade reached Mawai village of Amethi, partymen danced to drum beats and shouted slogans of ‘Rahul Gandhi zindabad’.
Asked if Priyanka would contest 2019 Lok Sabha election, Rahul said she herself would take a decision on the issue. “I am very happy personally. My sister is capable and dedicated,” he said.
“I believe a new thought process will begin in Uttar Pradesh. The young population should associate itself with the Congress. We are here to fight on the front foot. We did not fight on the back foot in Gujarat and will do the same in Uttar Pradesh,” Rahul said.
“We want to tell the people, farmers and youth of the state that they have struggled a lot. A lot of time has been wasted. They (BJP) have destroyed everything in Uttar Pradesh. You have seen corruption here. We want to make UP the number one state in the country,” he added.
Congress MLC and a party leader from Amethi Deepak Singh said with the appointment of Priyanka, the party leadership had given strong signals of winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2022 UP assembly elections.
“We are sure Priyanka ji will work to strengthen the party organisation in UP,” he said.