New Delhi: Congress general secretary and party in charge of the Uttar Pradesh Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday slammed media reports on the possibility of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading the poll campaign in the state, where assembly elections are due in early 2017.
"I don't understand who gives such news to television and newspapers. No discussion has taken place in this regard. Reports of her becoming the chief of the Uttar Pradesh Poll Campaign Committee are wrong. If she campaigns during the election, it's different thing but news of her becoming the chairman of the campaign committee is entirely wrong," Azad told ANI.
Responding to former Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit's statement that she is a daughter and daughter-in law of U.P. and whatever responsibility party gives her in the state will be accepted to her, Azad said: "It's obvious. She can campaign during the polls as she is from U.P. and was a Union Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in the Rajiv Gandhi government after she was elected as an MP from U.P. Therefore, she must have said that she would work for U.P., but in what capacity will be decided by the party."
When asked about the change of guard in the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) after Eid, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha said he could not say as of now when the appointment would be made. "When there is an election, there are some changes, but whether the UPCC president will be changed, I cannot say this," he added.
Stating that there will be no impact of the induction of 19 new faces into the Union Council of Ministers on the U.P's politics, Azad said, "Only one person was inducted into the Cabinet, otherwise it was an expansion of the Union Council of Ministers. The U.P should have been given more berths. While U.P. and Madhya Pradesh got three berths each, Rajasthan got four berths."
Reports in a section of media claimed that Priyanka Gandhi will lead the Congress' election campaign in the U.P. election, while Dikshit is likely to be projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate.
