LUCKNOW: Cutting short her two-day visit to Lucknow meant to take part in Congress’s Nav Sankalp Shivir, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra left for New Delhi by road on late Wednesday night itself. However, no reason was cited for her early departure from Lucknow after attending the day –1 proceeding of the meet.
“Yes, she has left for New Delhi," confirmed Pankaj Srivastava, vice-chairman, UP state Congress media office.
As per the highly placed sources, the Congress general secretary rushed back to Delhi after getting informed about the infliction of her mother and AICC chief Sonia Gandhi with Covid-19.
The Congress' 'Nav Sankalp Karyashala' in UP was similar to the 'Chintan Shivir' held in Udaipur in Rajasthan last month, which was billed as a gathering of senior leaders to redraw the strategy to shore up the party's fortunes after the debacle in state polls this year.
On an inaugural day, the Congress general secretary had given a pep talk to the partymen asking them not to lose heart over the failures but rather exhorted them to work with double strength and vigour to prepare the party for the electoral battle of 2024.
“Let’s move forward with double vigour. We have two years to go for the 2024 LS elections. Even urban local body polls are also inching closer. We need to get ready and fight strongly,” said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters.
Giving the tips for party revival, she acknowledged that the task was difficult. “But we have to correct our mistakes. I am ready to work harder and move with you, in all circumstances. We will bring about a change and will evaluate who was working and who was not. I will evaluate my work as well,” she said.
Her visit on Wednesday was the first one to UP after the 2022 poll debacle.
“This is the first opportunity to speak to you after the 2022 assembly elections. You worked hard and the whole country has seen this, irrespective of the outcome. No one can say that UP’s Congress workers did not fight. In Udaipur, many people came to me and acknowledged the hard work done by the party workers in Uttar Pradesh. But the truth is that we lost badly,” she said.
While deliberating on the reasons for party’s decimation, Priyanka acknowledged that the party could not establish a connect with electorate which led to the drubbing. “We will have to put in double labour and work 100 times more. We will have to reach villages and doorstep of people. We are able to see what is happening in the country and will have to make people aware of it,” she said.
It was a different ideology at the time of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel. Now the BJP has a different ideology. It is taking its ideology door-to-door. We are not able to do so. We will have to strengthen ourselves and will have to understand our ideology better,” Priyanka told her party workers at the shivir.
On Thursday, Srivastava, party’s media in charge said the programme had continued as planned. "Yes. Our national secretaries are here and it is going on. Except for Priyankaji's programme nothing has been cancelled."