On mission to revive Congress, Priyanka makes first move, gets party an ally in Uttar Pradesh

When asked by reporters about a `muqabla' (contest) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the newly appointed AICC office bearer said, "Kar to rahe hein Rahulji, Modiji se muqabla (Rahul Gandhi is already taking on Modi)."

Priyanka Gandhi

Lucknow: In a pre-election tie-up,  Congress on Wednesday joined hands with  the lesser-known Mahan Dal party. The party is headed by Keshav Dev Maurya and claims influence among backward castes such as the Shakyas, Nishads, Rajbhar, Mauryas and Kushwahas in the state. Speaking to reporters after stitching the alliance, Priyanka Gandhi said, “I welcome our new ally Keshav Dev Mauryaji (Mahan Dal). We will strengthen our fight and contest together. We will put all our efforts vigorously and achieve the target given by  our party chief Rahul Gandhi.” She, however, avoided to answer questions on the 'Mahagathbandhan' in which the Congress hasn't been given a spot. Maurya also thanked Priyanka Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia for the coalition. “We had a similar pact for 2014 general polls but unfortunately it didn’t materialize in assembly elections. Earlier governments made a lot of noise on reservation but could not give any recognition to Kushwahas, Nishads, Rajbhar, “he said. Meanwhile, taking a break only for a few hours after night-long discussions with party workers, Priyanka resumed the exercise, prepping the party in eastern Uttar Pradesh for the coming Lok Sabha elections. When asked by reporters about a `muqabla' (contest) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the newly appointed AICC office bearer  said, "Kar to rahe hein Rahulji, Modiji se muqabla (Rahul Gandhi is already taking on Modi)." She also played down the questioning of her husband Robert Vadra by the Enforcement Directorate in Jaipur, in connection with an alleged land scam in Rajasthan's Bikaner district. "These things will keep on happening, I am doing my own work," she said. On her marathon meeting with party workers, Priyanka Gandhi said she is happy to see the enthusiasm among them. "I am learning a lot about the organisation and how it is structured. I am getting views on how to fight the elections," she said. Forty-one of the Lok Sabha constituencies in the state have been placed under her charge and the remaining 39 under Jyotiraditya Scindia. Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia were appointed AICC general secretaries for UP east and UP west respectively in January and took charge last week. Among the constituencies placed under Priyanka Gandhi's charge are the key seats of Lucknow, Amethi, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Phulpur, Allahabad, Barabanki, and Kushinagar. Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Pilibhit, Dhaurahra, Kanpur and Farrukhabad are some of the key constituencies in Scindia's charge. Later, in the day, representatives of a pensioners' association met her, asking for the revival of a pension scheme replaced with a new one under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Ajay Kumar Bandhu, who heads the National Movement for Old Pension Scheme (NMOPS), said the employees are against the new scheme under which a part of the funds is invested in stocks. Bandhu caimed Priyanka Gandhi assured the delegation that the old pension system will be implemented if the Congress is voted to power. (With additional information from PTI)