Priyanka Gandhi responds to Mayawati snub on '7-seat offer' in Uttar Pradesh

Hours after BSP supremo Mayawati dared the Congress to go ahead and field candidates in all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said her party is fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh on its own and has no issues with other parties.

Congress General Secretary and Eastern Uttar Pradesh incharge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. PTI Photo

Priyanka Gandhi has launched her three-day Prayagraj-Varanasi boat ride on the Ganga river as part of the Lok Sabha election campaign.

Responding to BSP Mayawati's outburst over seat-sharing, Priyanka said: "There is no need to be angry. The common aim is to defeat the BJP."

She said the Congress is fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh on its own

NEW DELHI: Hours after BSP supremo Mayawati dared the Congress to go ahead and field candidates in all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said her party is fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh on its own and has no issues with other parties. The Congress on Sunday announced it was leaving seven Lok Sabha seats for the SP-BSP-RLD combine in Uttar Pradesh. However, the BSP chief on Monday asked the national party not to "spread confusion" and said the alliance was capable of defeating the BJP on its own. Responding to BSP Mayawati's outburst over the 'seven-seat offer', Priyanka said: "There is no need to be angry. The common aim is to defeat the BJP." In reference to the SP-BSP-RLD alliance, she said the Congress doesn't want to disturb others.

"We are fighting the elections alone. We have no issues with anyone and don't want to disturb anyone. Our goal is to defeat the BJP, their goal also is to defeat the BJP," ANI quoted Priyanka, who launched her three-day Prayagraj-Varanasi boat ride on the Ganga river as part of the Lok Sabha election campaign, as saying. She also taunted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his 'main bhi chaukidaar' (I am also a watchman) claim, Gandhi said: "A watchman is only meant for the rich and not for farmers." Modi, she told people crowding the banks of the Ganga, "pushes money into the pockets of industrialists". "Modi only favours industrialists. So think before voting, use your vote judiciously, in a way that your vote changes things in the country," she said. The 47-year-old Congress general secretary, clad in a green cotton saree and pink blouse, interacted with a cross section of people, including students, and invited some of them to join her on the motorboat as she undertook her much anticipated ride from the Manaiya Ghat in Kachnar tehsil of Prayagraj district. Kicking off the Lok Sabha election campaign with her three-day visit to eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka will cover a distance of 100 km by boat in Ganga from Allahabad to Varanasi , the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and will also visit several temples while literally testing the political waters of UP where the Congress has been in wilderness for nearly three decades. She started her river journey with a visit to the Sangam and performing puja along with party leaders at the Bade Hanuman Mandir, popular as 'Letee Hanuman Ji' near Prayagraj Sangam. Priyanka  was accompanied by  party leaders including BJP turncoat Savitri Bai Phule and Congress MLA from Rampur Khas (Pratapgarh). Sitting cross-legged on the motorboat, the Congress leader, who has been assigned the task of leading the campaign in the region where political opponents like the BJP and the BSP-SP have a strong footing, was all ears as the locals residing on the river bank apprised her of their issues. (With inputs from agencies)

Published at : 18 Mar 2019 08:38 PM (IST)

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