Should I join politics, Priyanka asks rival parties

Rae Bareli : Combining wit with sarcasm, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Sunday dared her party’s political rivals in Uttar Pradesh to state if she should join politics and said she took no offence to allusions of her election-eve visits to a Hindi proverb about the frog that appears only during the monsoon.

“I am the barsati maindak (frog who appears in rainy season), not Rahul Gandhi. Everyone knows I come to (Rae Bareli and Amethi) to coordinate elections. There is nothing to hide in this,” she said, answering queries from media persons here.

She said her brother makes numerous visits to his constituency of Amethi and meets people regularly and she comes when he feels the need.

Referring to attacks over her visit to Amethi and Rae Bareli (the constituency of her mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi) on the eve of elections, Priyanka said she was not in politics.

“What do they want, should I come in politics… Should I stay out or join it… Ask Rajnathji (Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh), ask (Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and Chief Minister) Mayawatiji,” she said.

She indicated that she may campaign in some other neighbouring districts apart from Amethi and Rae Bareli

Answering queries, she said the party will win “much more seats” than the 2007 assembly polls and added that mostly issues related to the state will be raised in the elections.

Priyanka, who resembles her grandmother and late prime minister Indira Gandhi, said Uttar Pradesh had lagged behind other states due to “corruption” and “misgovernance” over the last 22 years.

She said the state needed politics of development.

“Other kind of politics based on caste, religion…corrupt politics, opportunistic politics is not the kind of politics that should prevail in the country,” she said.

Asked about her being described as “Bhaiyaji” in the twin constituencies, she said it was a nickname given to her in her childhood probably because of her boyish hair cut but it had stuck among local residents.

Ending on a lighter note, Priyanka said she did not want to have a press conference everyday.

She refused to answer question about BJP leader Uma Bharti describing herself as “bua (aunt)” of Rahul Gandhi.