By Rajat Rai, IANS,
Rae Bareli : She travelled from village to village in this largely rural constituency of Rae Bareli and stopped to address waiting villagers, seeking votes for her mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and brother Rahul Gandhi. It was yet another hectic day for Priyanka Gandhi.
“You have given a five-year term to my brother and he has done a lot of developmental works in Amethi. Give him five years more and please do cast your vote,” she told people in all of her 16 meetings Wednesday.
However, a surprise factor was her visit to a prominent madrassa in Inhaona block of the district to meet the children studying there.
She kept mediapersons at bay – more than a kilometre away, as Congress workers urged scribes not to highlight this brief unscheduled visit.
Priyanka Gandhi began her day from Shah Mau block at around 10.30 a.m.
Besides the routine speeches, she also faced a strange situation when an over-excited party worker, along with over 50 supporters, started shouting slogans in favour of Maneka Gandhi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who represents Pilibhit in the Lok Sabha.
After raising slogans of ‘Priyanka Gandhi Zindabad’ a few times, he also shouted ‘Maneka Gandhi Zindabad’ a couple of times.
However, he was pulled down by some vigilant party workers and was escorted away hurriedly.
During her 150-km long campaign trail, Priyanka Gandhi also thanked the voters of the region for the bright future of her children.
“I have two children and thanks to your faith in our family, they are studying in a good ‘pathshala’ (school) and they have a bright future ahead. I would request you to give another chance to Rahul so that our family can ensure the same future for your children,” Priyanka Gandhi said at a meeting.
She also blamed opposition parties, without taking names, of indulging in hate politics.
“some use caste and creed to come to power and for some it is a business. However, our family treats politics to be a way to serve people,” she asserted.
Replying to a scribe’s question on BJP nominee and her cousin Varun Gandhi’s comment of feeling proud to be a Hindu, Priyanka Gandhi said: “I will not comment on this and I am proud to be an Indian.
“I do not feel like coming into politics and you people are asking this question for the past 20 years,” she replied to another question.
A party spokesman said she would be campaigning in Rae Bareli and Amethi Thursday and attend over a dozen public meetings.