‘Want him to be happy, married, have kids’: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's ‘wish’ for brother Rahul Gandhi

‘Rahul as PM’ is a decision for the INDIA bloc to take, if voted to power, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, campaigning extensively for Rahul Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Kishori Lal Sharma in Amethi, would like her brother to “be married, happy, and become a father,” the Congress general secretary said in an interview.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (HT PHOTO)

“As a sister, I would like my brother to be a happy man. I'd like him to get married, have kids,” Priyanka said, when asked by the interviewer if she would be happy if Rahul is made the PM face of the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc.

On “Rahul as PM”, Priyanka replied that the INDIA bloc would decide that if it came to power.

So far, however, the alliance has refused to project a face against Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the BJP.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was expected to make her electoral debut from either Amethi or Rae Bareli, two Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh that are synonymous with the grand old party's first family. Eventually, however, the Congress fielded Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli, vacated by Sonia Gandhi, the siblings' mother, who shifted to Rajya Sabha in February. On the other hand, in Amethi, which gave Rahul Gandhi three consecutive Lok Sabha terms but elected BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019, the Congress gave ticket to Sharma, a Gandhi family loyalist.

The Congress general secretary was questioned about not taking the plunge.

“Both of us (Priyanka and Rahul) were campaigning across the country…you can see I am here for 15 days. Somebody is required to be here (Amethi and Rae Bareli) as these are not constituencies where you can fight elections by remote control. We have worked hard here…we have a family relationship with people of these constituencies. They expect us to be around. Had both of us fought, we would have been managing our respective constituencies,” she replied.

Amethi and Rae Bareli will vote on Monday in the fifth leg of the seven-phase national polls. On both seats, the BJP has fielded its candidates from the 2019 elections: Irani and Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, respectively.