Rae Bareli: Priyanka Gandhi held a roadshow in the constituency of her mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, during which she claimed that there was no challenge for her party in Rae Bareli and Amethi, the constituency of her brother Rahul Gandhi.
"There is no challenge for Congress in Rae Bareli and Amethi parliamentary constituencies. People here have given us a lot of affection for which we are indebted," said Priyanka during the five-kilometre road show.
During the event, Priyanka marched from the residence of the poll manager of her late grandmother Indira Gandhi (Gaya Prasad Shukla) to Congress office at Tilak Bhawan. She also visited the house of Nagar Palika chairperson and local SP leader Mohd Iliyas at Qila Bazar and spent three to four minutes there.
Gandhi also went to Sarveshwar Dham Temple and offered flowers to God Hanuman. During the march, Priyanka's sandal snapped. However, party workers immediately bought a new footwear for her and the leader continued with the march.
Attacking Modi without taking his name, Priyanka said, "you are wishing to be PM but what plans do you have for women empowerment, development and employment". She said the sacrifices by Congress have saved the nation. "Our culture has lasted from centuries and people from all the religions live here. Beware of such forces which try to divide the society. Congress is needed to save the nation".
Striking an emotional chord with the people of Amethi, Priyanka recalled the years when her father Rajiv Gandhi was an MP from the constituency. "My father used to be your MP. All the elderly people present here must be knowing that how good a person Rajivji was. He got development of Amethi done through visionary thinking.... He thought about how to connect it with the world."
"My brother is a visionary like Rajivji," she said, adding "Rahul is campaigning through out the country and he has sent me here to convey his wishes".
Referring to women associated with Rajiv Gandhi Women Development Project, she said, "sisters associated with the project are present here.
"I got the scheme started in the year 2002. When Rahulji came here, he said why is it limited to 8-10 villages, it should be implemented in the entire area. Today 12 lakh women are associated with the scheme and have become self reliant. This development was done by Rahulji."
Priyanka said that it was during Rahul's tenure that milk revolution took place in Amethi. "Rahulji got 30 chilling plants set up. Today milk from Amethi is supplied all over the country. To connect Amethi with other parts of the country, he got seven national highways constructed. This would be the first district with so many national highways," she said.
"There is some inconvenience of power. Soniaji talked to SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav about power crisis and he gave additional power. On this, some of our opponents filed a case in the High Court that why additional power was being supplied to Amethi and Rae Bareli. Today candidates of those
opponents are telling you that no development was done," she said.
She said Rahul got technical institutes opened in Amethi, which include FDDI, IIIT and aviation academy. There is a Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalaya in every block and three model schools. "Today 20 new trains run from Amethi which reach different corners of the country. A food park is going to open in Jagdishpur, which will benefit the farmers most."
Hiting out at rival candiates, the said, "they have no relations with Amethi but we have for years."
