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Open to alliance, have worked to strengthen party organisation: Priyanka
Congress general secretary winds up three-day tour of Uttar Pradesh, counters BJP accusation, says she has been visiting state regularly
To go or not to go for an alliance is the question that appears on the top of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s mind as she gears up her party organisation for 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
This became evident at various informal interactions that Priyanka had with party workers and others before winding up her three-day tour here on Sunday.Those aware of the developments said Priyanka, at one such informal interaction with media persons here on Sunday, said, “I am open to an alliance.”
“I have worked to strengthen party organisation to ensure it remains in place, if I move on,” said Priyanka informally. Her observations led to speculation that she, being national general secretary may be elevated and assigned a bigger role or charge of some other state. A Congress functionary, however, said there was no such move.
She also indicated how the “ekla chalo re” (going it alone) route may help the Congress in strengthening the party in the long run, saying the party would not take any steps that may weaken, or harm it and her party’s main objective was to defeat the BJP in the 2022 polls.
“Priyanka is well aware of the fact that it is too early to say anything on the issue. The alliances have not helped the Congress in the past, be it the party’s alliance with the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) in 1996 or with the SP (Samajwadi Party) in 2017. So, it’s going to be tough call for the leadership,” said a party leader.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has often indicated that his party has had bitter experiences of allying with bigger parties (with Congress in 2017 assembly elections and with the BSP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls) and his party would, therefore, go for tie-ups with smaller parties. “The Congress cannot survive without any alliance in the 2022 assembly elections under the prevailing political situation in the state. Any alliance with smaller parties will not work. So, the Congress should negotiate either with the Samajwadi Party or the BSP for an alliance. An alliance with the SP will be in the interest of the Congress though the former will have its own terms,” said SK Dwivedi, former head of the department of political science, Lucknow University.
Priyanka also hinted that she would devote more time to the state to gear up the party organisation for the polls. She laid emphasis on making the old guard and youngsters in her party work together. Another party leader said Priyanka wanted the party to reach out to the veterans and senior leaders have been asked to treat them with respect.
The Congress general secretary countered the BJP’s accusations that she was a political tourist and said she has been regularly visiting the state. She also said the accusation was part of BJP’s propaganda to project her and her brother Rahul Gandhi as non-serious leaders and she would not be cowed down by such accusations.
She said the party workers had been asked to work harder to strengthen the organisation at the booth level now. “For the past one and a half years, our effort has been to take the Congress organisation (to the grassroots). We want to strengthen it further at the grassroots level now,” she said, addressing party workers on Saturday.She praised the party workers for extending help to people in fight against Covid-19 and said the Congress workers were the first ones to reach wherever there was any problem. She asked the partymen to work round the clock for the next seven months for the 2022 assembly elections.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS
