LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra minced no words in making her disappointment known to party workers for not doing enough in the national elections.Flanked by mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at a review session, a visibly upset Priyanka, on a thanksgiving trip to Rae Bareli, took the party workers to task at a the meeting on Wednesday night.
The Congress is unable to come to terms with the defeat of party president Rahul Gandhi, who lost family bastion Amethi to BJP’s Smriti Irani by a margin of over 55,000 votes.At the gathering of Congress workers, Priyanka asserted that the party’s solo win could be achieved with the help of Sonia Gandhi herself and the people of Rae Bareli. Priyanka felt that party workers did not deliver the way they should have to ensure victory of party candidates in the LS election.
Priyanka reiterated that she would find out the names of the workers who did not work for the party. The media was barred from coverage of the congregation.Sonia, however, blamed the party’s dismal show on the BJP accusing it of ‘making attempts to mislead voters’. “Attempts were made to mislead voters in the elections. What happened was ethical or unethical… but nothing can be more unfortunate for India than parties crossing all the norms to cling on to power.”
As per the Congress leaders who were at the meeting, Sonia raised doubts on the authenticity of poll outcome. In a veiled attack on the BJP, the UPA chairperson talked about the doubts being allegedly raised over the India’s electoral process for the past few years.
‘Priyanka for CM’
Meanwhile, the senior leaders and Congress cadre demanded the high command to declare Priyanka as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the 2022 Assembly election. The party workers were also of the view that the party should stay away from any alliance. They also advocated for a stout fight in the by-election to 12 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Cong for Gujarat & RS polls together
The Congress on Thursday demanded that elections to two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat vacated by Union ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani after being elected to the Lok Sabha should be held on the same day. The party said Shah and Irani’s Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat were declared vacant on separate notifications and it is an attempt to stagger the two polls that would ensure BJP winning both the seats. “The party has called upon the Election Commission that if election to two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat were held separate, it would be unconstitutional and illegal,” said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Party to oppose Triple talaq bill
New Delhi: The Congress will oppose some provisions of the Triple Talaq Bill in the Lok Sabha. “We had raised a number of issues. Many of the contentious issues the government had agreed upon. A lot of time would have been saved if the government had agreed on our points earlier. Now one or two issues are left on which we will debate and oppose,” said senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.