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UP polls: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra rides taxi in Lucknow, gets cabdriver’s version of public issues
On the way back to her Gokhale Marg residence in Lucknow, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s conversation with the cabdriver was shown live on social media
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Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday heard a cab driver’s version of various public issues as she took a ride in a taxi after landing at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh airport from Barabanki, where she addressed a public meeting in favour of her party’s candidates.
On the way back to her Gokhale Marg residence in Lucknow, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s conversation with the cabdriver was shown live on social media.
In particular, the driver spoke about alleged irregularities in implementing the other backward classes (OBC) quota in recruitment of teachers.
A senior Congress functionary confirmed, “Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took a taxi ride from Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport where she reached after addressing a public meeting at Barabanki on Thursday.”
For his part, the cab driver alleged, “They (BJP government) call this an irregularity. In other governments, this may have been a big scam. My wife appeared for TET (teachers’ eligibility test). Before announcement of the Election Commission of India’s model code of conduct, chief minister Yogi Adityanath assured the issue in the vacancy (recruitment) will be sorted out. My wife’s name figures in the list of 6800 candidates to be given appointment. But the government does not appear interested in benefitting the candidates.”
“My dream would have been to pursue a business of my own, development of my village and give jobs to others. I have passed ITI… My daughter may pursue B Tech,” said the cabdriver whose name could not be known from the conversation.
He is also heard telling Priyanka how the price of CNG, too, has gone up in addition to the price of petrol and diesel. When Priyanka questioned him further, the cab driver told the Congress general secretary that his parents stayed with him and his wife had cordial relations with them.
He is heard criticising the media for not taking up the cause of people and the government’s purported move to sell public sector undertakings (PSUs).
Earlier, addressing public meetings at Barabanki and Gonda, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raised the issues of rising inflation, unemployment and stray cattle. She asked the crowd about the jobs given by the government to claim that the BJP government did nothing in the past five years.
About the problem of stray cattle, she said the people, including women, were staying awake at night to protect their fields from stray cattle.
“I was in Amethi. I saw a woman who was going to her fields to protect them from stray cattle. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who knows about even the coughing of world leaders, has feigned ignorance about the issue and talks of resolving the issue now,” said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She said the Congress government in Chhattisgarh had resolved the issue by buying the cow dung and using the same to generate biogas energy and prepare fertiliser.
