Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

WE WILL ALL MAKE A NEW BEGINNING, SAYS PRIYANKA

Reaching Lucknow to build a new future for the people of UP, she says

- Umesh Raghuvansh­i uraghuvans­hi@hindustant­imes.com ▪

LUCKNOW: A grand welcome awaits Congress general secretary in charge of east UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who will begin her first visit to the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarte­rs here on Monday. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary incharge of west UP Jyotiradit­ya Scindia will accompany her. In an audio message being circulated on the eve of her visit, Priyanka has said she is reaching Lucknow to build a new future for the people of Uttar Pradesh. She has given a call to the youth, the women and the weaker sections of society to come forward to make a new beginning in politics.

LUCKNOW: A day before her visit to Lucknow, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, called for a new beginning in an audio message circulated by her party.

Rahul Gandhi, her brother and Congress president, and Jyotiradit­ya Scindia, the party’s general secretary in charge of western Uttar Pradesh, will accompany Priyanka Gandhi during her first visit to the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarte­rs after her appointmen­t in the party on Monday.

In the audio message, Priyanka Gandhi asked the youth, women and the weaker sections of society to join the efforts to build a “new future”.

“I am reaching Lucknow on Monday to meet you all. I hope we all will make a new beginning in politics that will include you all. My young friends, my sisters, and weakest person, all will have a say. Come let’s build this new politics and a new future,” she said through the Congress’s Shakti App.

In another audio message, Scindia said: “I am reaching UP tomorrow. Uttar Pradesh’s youth needs a way for the future and the state needs change. Come, join us to bring about this change.”

During her visit, Priyanka Gandhi will take feedback from party workers ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due this summer.

The UPCC office has been decked up for the high-profile visits. Hoardings welcoming the leaders have come up along the nearly 20km stretch from the Chaudhary Charan Singh airport to the Congress headquarte­rs, and several other parts of the city.

“Uttar Pradesh is feeling privileged as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is beginning her active politics from here….We can see hoardings with slogans ‘Badlav ki aandhi, Rahul sang Priyanka Gandhi (Winds of change, with Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi)’. And these are the feelings of all partymen. We will accord her an unpreceden­ted welcome,” state Congress chief Raj Babbar said on Sunday.

Although a roadside public meeting is being planned in the Lalbagh area, Priyanka and the other leaders may also address party workers from a special vehicle that will carry them from the airport to the UPCC headquarte­rs.

Babbar said Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia will hold meetings with partymen from February 12 to 14. Priyanka Gandhi will interact with partymen of 42 Lok Sabha seats and Scindia will have meetings with workers of 38 constituen­cies at the UPCC headquarte­rs, he said.

“Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiradit­ya (Scindia) will begin touring the Lok Sabha constituen­cies of east and west UP, respective­ly, on February 18,” Babbar said.

Although the detailed programme was still being worked out, people familiar with the matter said the road shows will continue till February 21.

For security reasons, last minute changes have been made in the route that the Congress initially proposed to the district administra­tion for Monday.

A flurry of activity was witnessed at the UPCC headquarte­rs with senior party leaders Pramod Tiwari, PL Punia, Jitin Prasada and Rajiv Shukla holding meetings with the party workers to put final touches to the welcome programme. After landing at the airport here around 10.30am, Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiradit­ya Scindia and other senior leaders will reach the party headquarte­rs in a procession.

“We have sought permission for a meeting at Lalbagh too,” Babbar said.

 ?? HT PHOTO ?? UPCC headquarte­rs all decked up on the eve of the visit of newly-appointed UP (east) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in Lucknow, ▪ on Sunday.
HT PHOTO UPCC headquarte­rs all decked up on the eve of the visit of newly-appointed UP (east) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in Lucknow, ▪ on Sunday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India