Priyanka Gandhi’s mission: Fight factionalism

Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra embarked on a three-day tour of the Congress bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli on Monday ahead of the assembly election.

She called upon Congress workers to bury the internal differences for the party’s success and made it clear that factionalism would not be tolerated. Party leaders expect that Priyanka’s participation in the poll campaign would boost the party’s prospects throughout the state though she would campaign only in Amethi and Rae Bareli. The Congress had won six of the 10 assembly segments in these two parliamentary constituencies in 2007.

Priyanka had to face the ire of party workers as soon as she entered Amethi at Babuganj. The party men stopped her cavalcade, demanding ticket to a person with clean image in Gauriganj constituency. The irate workers allowed her to leave only after she assured them that a good nominee was put up.

Speaking to party workers later, Priyanka said flying squad teams would be constituted at the village level to keep a watch on groupism. She asked them to forget internal differences and work for the success of the party and its ‘Mission 2012’, sources in the party said.

“Time is very short, party workers should reach people in villages and inform the electorate about welfare schemes of the Congress and UPA government and muster support for party candidates,” sources quoted Priyanka as saying. She said workers were the backbone of the organisation and they would get full respect.
Priyanka told the workers that she would handle the party’s election campaign in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by her brother Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi respectively, and that she would start her Amethi tour from February 2.