Priyanka calls upon Amethi to bring back Rajiv Gandhi’s politics

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday called upon the people of Amethi to bring back the politics that her father former Prime Minister the late Rajiv Gandhi had set up to serve the constituency.

“This is the ‘karmbhoomi’ of my father. This is a holy land for us... A new tradition of politics was set up here by my father. I have come here to urge you to bring back the same politics of work,” she said, addressing a public meeting at the Congress office in Amethi.

She also accompanied Rahul Gandhi during his campaign at Maharajganj in the Bachhrawan assembly segment of Rae Bareli and Gurbaxganj in Harchandpur assembly segment, also in Rae Bareli. She later addressed public meetings at Sangarmpur and Haripur in Amethi.

Priyanka Gandhi said her father Rajiv Gandhi had come to the Amethi constituency in 1981 following the death of his younger brother (Sanjay Gandhi). She said Rajiv Gandhi later became Prime Minister of India and remained MP from this constituency till his last breath (1991).

“When my father began his journey as an MP from Amethi, his younger brother had died. He went from village to village here. His mother (Indira Gandhi) was assassinated in 1984 and he had to become PM. His behaviour did not change even when he was Prime Minister or an MP. He used to come to you humbly,” she said.

She said following the death of Rajiv Gandhi, her mother (Sonia Gandhi) came to serve the people and then Rahul Gandhi came here to work for the people. Without naming Union minister Smriti Irani, she said your MP, however, came here to defeat Rahul Gandhi.

She listed the projects, including BHEL, HAL, Indira Gandhi Uran Academy and others, to make her point that development was expedited in the constituency with a spree of projects. She said Amethi was known all over the country.

“When somebody came from Amethi to the office, all the doors were opened for them. When I meet the people in New Delhi Municipal Corporation or in some other government department, many of them are from Amethi... this means the people got government jobs,” she said, adding, now lies have spread that nothing was done for the people of Amethi. She said the Amethi MP (Union minister Smriti Irani) criticises her family for not bringing about development of the constituency.

Earlier, she went to the Bawan Bujurg Balla village at Maharajganj, Rae Bareli, and interacted with people there.