Priyanka Gandhi Cancels Media Briefing in Wake of Pulwama Attack

Congress General Secretary for UP East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday, 14 February, cancelled her scheduled press conference in the wake of the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, where at least 30 CRPF jawans were martyred.

"In the wake of the unfortunate Pulwama attack, I don't think it is appropriate to talk (about) politics right now," she said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East on 23 January – a decision that has been termed a masterstroke, reflecting the party's intent to go the whole hog in the politically crucial state.

The appointment also marked Priyanka's official entry into politics, and is expected to boost the morale of party workers in the state which sends 80 MPs to Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi also appointed senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia as AICC general secretary for Uttar Pradesh West.

Newly-appointed Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will hit the campaign trail with brother and party President Rahul Gandhi in battleground Uttar Pradesh with a roadshow in Lucknow on 11 February.

Both the Gandhis along with general secretary for west Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia will lead the roadshow from Lucknow airport to the state Congress office where they will interact with the media.

Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia will then interact with state leaders and party workers on 12, 13 and 14 February, to chalk the strategies for the Lok Sabha elections in the country's most populous state which sends 80 members to parliament.

The Congress, not a part of Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in UP, has decided to go it alone but also keep the door open for prospective allies. The party could win only two seats in the state in the 2014 general elections.

Newly appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will have her hands full during her four-day visit to Lucknow as she will meet senior leaders and office bearers of the party.

This will be Priyanka Gandhi's maiden visit to Uttar Pradesh after she formally entered politics last month.

The party in Uttar Pradesh is seeing the visit as the virtual launch of the Congress campaign in the state, ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections.

In-charge of 42 of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi will meet senior leaders and office bearers of the party constituency-wise during her visit till 14 February, Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.

Lists of leaders, including former MPs, MLAs and other people’s representatives, have been sought from the district unit presidents. Each constituency is being allotted a different time to meet the senior leadership, during which all issues related to their areas will be discussed in detail, he said.

Preparations are underway to accord a grand welcome to the three leaders on their arrival, Awasthi said.

He added that Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia are likely to garland statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi on their way to the party office.

Rahul Gandhi is likely to return the same day after a meeting with the state leaders, he added.

The UPCC office is being spruced up and new hoardings have come up all the way from the airport, welcoming Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia.

A team of Special Protection Group (SPG) also visited the UPCC headquarters on Thursday and met senior Congress leaders to make necessary security arrangements ahead of the visit, party sources said.

Enthused by the appointment of new leaders to steer them into the coming Lok Sabha election, Congress workers have planned a grand welcome for the party's general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, when she arrives in the state capital on Monday.

Congress workers, led by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Raj Babbar, have made elaborate arrangements to welcome their leaders. Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia will arrive at the Lucknow airport and will pass through the main areas of the state capital to reach the Nehru Bhawan office of the UPCC.

They will be welcomed by party workers and leaders at nearly 37 points in the city between the airport and the UPCC office, Congress spokesman Anshu Awasthi told PTI. Before reaching the Congress office, the Congress leaders are expected to garland the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on the route.

Congress’ General Secretary Incharge of Uttar Pradesh East, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has issued a message on Twitter, inviting the people of UP to join her as equal partners in a new kind of politics. This is Priyanka Gandhi’s first public message to people of Uttar Pradesh ahead of her rallies and public interaction.

Priyanka and Jyotiraditya Scindia will arrive in Lucknow on Monday on their first trip to the state after being appointed the Congress general secretary in-charges of eastern and western UP respectively.

They will be accompanied by Congress president Rahul Gandhi — all three visiting the crucial state for the first time after the appointments announced last month.

"I am coming tomorrow to Lucknow to meet all of you. I have hope in my heart that together we will start a new kind of politics, a politics in which all of you will be stakeholders — my young friends, my sisters and even the weakest person, all their voices will be heard," said Gandhi through the Congress's Shakti App.

Congress workers are planning a roadshow when the three leaders travel from the airport to the party's state headquarter.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address a meeting of the All India Congress Seva Dal in Rajasthan on 14 February, according to a statement released on Sunday.

The organisation will hold its 'Maha Adhiveshan' after 30 years and its volunteers will participate in the two-day event in Ajmer in Rajasthan on February 13-14, it said.

"The mega rally...will be one of the major highlights of the two-day Rashtriya Maha Adhiveshan. This rally will be addressed by the Congress President," it said.

"In this rally, the Congress President will guide Seva Dal members to build a strong Seva Dal to meet its organisational objectives," it said.

Many parallel conferences are being planned during the two days which include discussions on importance in imbibing Gandhian values such as truth, non-violence and tolerance; women safety and empowerment; and importance of the Constitution and constitutional institutions for good governance.

Enthused by the appointment of new leaders to steer them into the coming Lok Sabha election, Congress workers have planned a grand welcome to the party's general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and others when they arrive in the state capital on Monday.

Congress workers, led by UPCC Chief Raj Babbar, have made elaborate arrangements to welcome their leaders.

They will be welcomed by party workers and leaders at nearly 37 points in the city between the airport and the UPCC office, Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.

Hoardings of Congress leaders have been put up along the route they are proposed to take. Banners on the route read, “Waqt hai badlav ka (Time for change)”.

(Source: PTI)

Ahead of the roadshow on Monday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter: “I’m coming to Lucknow... excited to meet you all.”

Congress’ decision to unleash Priyanka Gandhi, widely regarded as the party’s ‘brahmastra’, is a clear signal that eastern UP will be the main battlefield in 2019.

This is the turf of the BJP’s big guns. Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi lies here. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has reigned over Gorakhpur for five terms.

Few doubt Priyanka’s capacity to alter the texture of an election campaign. She first demonstrated her skill in 1998 when she stole Bellary from under Sushma Swaraj’s nose, to help her mother Sonia Gandhi enter Parliament for the first time.

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Banners portraying Priyanka Gandhi as Hindu goddess Durga were seen in Lucknow on Monday, 11 February, ahead of the Congress scion’s maiden roadshow since taking the plunge into mainstream politics.

Uttar Pradesh Minister SN Singh on Monday, 11 February, said that BJP sees Priyanka Gandhi’s maiden roadshow in the state as a case of ‘thieves making noise’ ahead of polls.

“They're calling this a roadshow, but BJP sees this as 'chor machaye shor'. The Gandhi-Vadra family is out on bail. They can't hold a roadshow but a 'chor show' (sic). People of UP, especially Lucknow, will come to see corrupt faces of those who looted Rs 12 lakh crore of this nation,” Singh said, according to ANI.

Congress has modified a bus as a special ‘chariot’ to be used for Priyanka Gandhi’s roadshow in Lucknow on Monday, 11 February. The bus features images of Priyanka juxtaposed against that of Indira Gandhi, a clear attempt by the party to invoke the perceived similarities between the two leaders among voters.

Ahead of her first roadshow in Lucknow, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra officially joined Twitter on Monday, 11 February. Her handle, @priyankagandhi, had acquired thousands of followers within minutes of joining.

Priyanka Gandhi’s political debut has infused fresh energy among the Congress cadre, who feel that her, along with party president Rahul Gandhi, can restore the fortunes of the party in Uttar Pradesh.

Priyanka Gandhi and her brother, Congress President Rahul, and Congress General Secretary in-charge for western Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia arrived in Lucknow on Monday, 11 February, ahead of a mega roadshow planned in the capital city.

Congress workers all over Lucknow are taking out processions, chanting praise for their leaders, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi, ahead of the mega roadshow planned in the capital.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra kicked off Congress’ mega roadshow in Lucknow on Monday, 11 February, with party President Rahul Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Singh. The approximately 20-km long roadshow will start from Amausi airport to the Nehru Bhawan office of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.

Reports are suggesting that Congress scion Priyanka Gandhi is expected to address party workers at Lucknow’s Lalbagh. This comes after Priyanka released an audio message addressing party workers on Twitter on Sunday, the eve of the mega roadshow in the capital.

During the ongoing road show in Lucknow, Rahul Gandhi, while on his chariot, waved a cardboard cut-out of the Rafale jet at the sea of people.

Robert Vadra extended his best wishes to his wife Priyanka as she joined the “vindictive, vicious political atmosphere.”

In a Facebook status, Vadra wrote: “You have been my best friend a perfect wife and the best mother to our Children. I know, it’s her duty to serve the people and Now we hand her to the people of India. Please keep her safe.

Vadra is currently in Jaipur to face questioning in connection with a money-laundering case related to a land scam in Bikaner.

In a video of the roadshow tweeted by the Congress’ Twitter handle, hundreds of supporters can be seen waving flags and chanting "Rahul, Rahul."

Priyanka Gandhi’s maiden roadshow in Lucknow proved to be a hit among women supporters as hundreds gathered to catch a glimpse of the Congress scion, with some women even travelling all the way from Raebareli.

Congress General Secretary in-charge for western Uttar Pradesh Jyotiraditya Scindia tweeted on Monday, 11 February, that the people of Uttar Pradesh were ready to take a resolution for change.

He also said that people were ready to say goodbye to a ‘jumla sarkar’, in a dig at the BJP government.

Punjab Minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu took to Twitter to praise Priyanka Gandhi over her maiden rally after taking charge of eastern UP.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday, 11 February trained guns at PM Modi over the Rafale deal at Priyanka Gandhi’s maiden roadshow in Lucknow with the slogan “chowkidar chor hai”.

“The nation's 'chowkidaar' stole money from Uttar Pradesh, other states, and the Air Force. 'Chowkidar chor hai'. UP is the heart of the country. We'll play on front-foot. Scindia Ji, Priyanka Ji and I won't rest until a government of Congress' ideology is formed here,” he said.

Congress leader and former Union minister Jitin Prasada said that Priyanka Gandhi taking an active role in politics was a long-pending demand of the party workers, and other parties will be wiped off from UP with her entry.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress President Rahul Gandhi pay floral tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at his statue.

Addressing the crowd at the party’s Lucknow office, Rahul Gandhi said that the ideology of the RSS and PM Modi needs to be defeated in the country. He also said that the Congress will form the next government and he will do whatever it takes to ensure Congress’ victory.

“Congress started in UP and can't remain weak here. I've given the job of strengthening the party here to Priyanka Ji and Jyotiraditya Ji. Lok Sabha polls are approaching and I told them that we should perform better in it and we should form government after Assembly polls too,” he said.

Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra interacts with a child during the roadshow in Lucknow.

"I gave her a garland and she gave me a chocolate. Later, she returned the garland to me and said, 'Stay happy'” the girl said.

Priyanka Gandhi’s supporters praised her entry into active politics and said that she was “the new Indira Gandhi”.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrives in Jaipur for the questioning of husband Robert Vadra in connection with a money-laundering case related to a land scam in Bikaner.

Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi expressed gratitude to the supporters present at Priyanka Gandhi’s road show in Lucknow.

“Better late than never,” Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday described the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into politics.

While speaking at the venue of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu's fast in New Delhi, he added “the people expected her to come sooner. Der aaye durust aaye (better late than never). People are seeing her like (her grandmother and former prime minister) Indira Gandhi. She has a soft behaviour and she talks well and the people in the party see her as a big asset,”

According to Kharge Priyanka will make Congress more powerful.

Rahul Gandhi said that Congress will not sit idle till it forms government and that it would “play on the front foot” in Uttar Pradesh.

Prashant Kishor on Monday said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might not be able to "turn things around" for her party in the few months left for the Lok Sabha polls.

“Rahul Gandhi is the party president while Priyanka Vadra is among the many national general secretaries, but her entry will have an impact in the long run,” he said.

A day after making her debut in Uttar Pradesh's political arena as Congress's general secretary of east UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra got down to business, holding strategy sessions to script her party's victory in the upcoming parliamentary polls.

The party office buzzed with activity as enthusiastic Congress workers gathered outside the UPCC building, even before she returned from an overnight stay in Jaipur.

Immediately after reached the party office, she met with senior leaders and office bearers of Lucknow, Mohanlalganj, Prayagraj, Ambedkar Nagar, Sitapur, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Bahraich, Phulpur and Ayodhya Lok Sabha constituencies to galvanise the party's preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In an adjoining room, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of western UP, Jyotiraditya Scinda, held deliberations with leaders from the constituencies he has been asked to groom.

Congress General Secretary for UP East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be looking after 41 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while General Secretary for UP West Jyotiraditya Scindia will be taking care of the rest 39, ANI reported.

Among the constituencies placed under Priyanka Gandhi's charge were the key seats of Lucknow, Amethi, Raebareli, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Phulpur, Allahabad, Barabanki, and Kushinagar, PTI reported.

Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Pilibhit, Dhaurahra, Kanpur, and Farrukhabad, were some of the key constituencies placed under Scindia's charge.

Congress General Secretary for UP West Jyotiraditya Scindia said that his party was formulating a strategy based on regional issues.

After attending the Congress committee meeting, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she is learning a lot about the organisation and how it is structured. “I am getting their views on how to fight the election,” she told the media.

When asked about her husband, Robert Vadra, being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate, Gandhi said, “These things keep happening, I am doing my work.”

Priyanka Gandhi, while addressing the media welcomed Mahan Dal who extended support to the Congress for the upcoming elections and said that her party will fight the 2019 elections with all its might.

“Rahul ji has given us the task of creating a political environment where everybody gets representation and everybody gets leadership,” she said.

“We will fight the battle of 2019 with all our might,” she added.

After her meetings with party workers, Priyanka Gandhi is eyeing to make changes in organisation of Congress’ Uttar Pradesh unit.

“I am learning a lot about how to restructure the organisation and the changes needed to be made on the road ahead,” the newly-appointed UP East General Secretary of the party said.

“We have had a jumbo-sized Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee of over 500 members. We need to trim the size. I know how to do it and I will do it,” a party leader quoted Priyanka as saying at a meeting with workers in Lucknow, Hindustan Times reported.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday, 14 February, cancelled her scheduled press conference in the wake of the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, where at least 30 CRPF jawans were martyred.

"In the wake of the unfortunate Pulwama attack, I don't think it is appropriate to talk (about) politics right now," she said.

Addressing the families of the martyred jawans, she said, "In this hour of mourning, every Indian is with you."