Kick-starting the poll campaign in her mother Sonia Gandhi’s constituency Rae Bareli on Wednesday, Priyanka Gandhi made a veiled attack on Narendra Modi, saying only one man took all the decisions in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“There is one ideology under which we want to empower common people. All our schemes have been made keeping in mind the objectives that you should be strengthened,” she said, adding, “On the other hand, there is another ideology in which all powers are centred in one’s person’s hand where one man’s decision will be applicable to all government policies and programmes will be aimed at some selected people. This is a separate ideology,” she said without naming Modi.
Priyanka was addressing villagers on the first day of her campaign during which she will hold public meetings in 11 villages. She said the decision that people were to take about voting this election had two parts. “While one is the practical aspect of their region’s development, the second is about what will be the future of the nation.”
She added that people of Rae Bareli have chosen Indira Gandhi in the past and they have a tradition of living together while the other ideology believes in dividing people. “This is Indiraji’s Karambhoomi… There was never any divide among people in this area and there has been a composite culture here. The ideology of the Congress is to unite people while that of the opposition is to divide.
She further added, “This election is not only about Sonia Gandhi or this region. It does not only concern the development of this region. We have to think about the future of the country and I have faith in your wisdom and I know you will choose the right party.”
Priyanka also claimed that the area has developed under the representation of Indira and Sonia Gandhi. She said the wheel of development never stops and ‘as much you do, so much is the possibility to do more in future’.
Beginning her campaign from Bhumau guest house, her motorcade reached Devanandpur, a Dalit hamlet where scores of women lined up on both side of the road. In the melee, her car hit a two-wheeler causing injuries to the pillion rider. An old woman in a rush to have a glimpse too fell on the ground. However, Congress workers rushed to save the situation.
Addressing the people, she also dismissed the challenge from local opposition party candidates in Rae Bareli, saying candidates of other parties are such faces who will perhaps never be seen after the elections are over.
