Why not Varanasi? Priyanka Gandhi drops hint about 'mother of all contests' against PM Modi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday dropped a hint about something that can very well be called a “mother of all contests” in response to a request by party workers to fight the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli, the constituency of her mother Sonia Gandhi. "Why not Varanasi," Priyanka quipped amid loud cheers while meeting Congress workers in Rae Bareli, reported news agency IANS.  Varanasi is the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Wednesday, the Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, had said that although she wish to work for the party’s organisation, she will fight elections if asked to do so. "If my party asks me to contest the polls, I will definitely do so. But my personal wish is to work for the party’s organisation as a lot of work needs to be done," the Congress leader told reporters.

While campaigning in her brother Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Amethi, Priyanka asked party workers to win the Lok Sabha elections 2019 not for the Congress chief but to save the nation.

“I have told party workers that it is very important you campaign properly this election. You should go to each and every house, and tell people that this election is to save the nation. Not Rahul Gandhi, but the nation should win this election,” she had said.

The Congress general secretary in-charge of the state’s eastern districts kicked off second leg of her campaign on Wednesday with the visit to Amethi, her brother Rahul Gandhi’s constituency, and is scheduled to reach Ayodhya, where the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is located, on Friday.

During her Ayodhya visit, Priyanka will hold a 50-km road show in Faizabad-Ayodhya. During the road show, she is expected to address two public meeting and will stop at over 30 other points to interact with people of the constituency.

Taking a swipe at Priyanka’s scheduled visit to Ayodhya, Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani said that the party that refused to believe in the existence of Lord Ram has now turned into an outfit of Ram followers. "The Congress party which presented documents in the court saying there is no existence of Lord Ram... The leader of that very party Priyanka Gandhi is moving about as a 'Ram bhakt'," she said.