‘Rahul for Rae Bareli’ in Gandhi family stronghold

RAE BARELI: It is 12:45 pm and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s ‘nukkad sabha’ at Rae Bareli’s Chaudah roundabout is already running behind schedule. However, the swelling crowd is unmindful of the harsh sun and patiently waits for the leader.

As Priyanka Gandhi’s car makes its way through the crowd, posters with ‘Rahul for Rae Bareli’ written on them go up in the air amid slogans. On the stage, Priyanka speaks about how the Nehru-Gandhi family nurtured Rae Bareli for decades and the failure of the Modi government to address the burning issues of unemployment and inflation, among others.

“They accuse us of being against the Hindu religion. We follow Mahatma Gandhi’s ideal who had chanted ‘Hey Ram’ before dying,” she said. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi was wrong in accusing it (Congress) of being anti-religion.”

Priyanka alleged that while the BJP claims to be a “champion of Hindu religion,” the condition of the state-run cowsheds in Uttar Pradesh remains pitiable.

She highlighted the strong bond the Gandhi family has with the constituency since the days of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. “Bhaiya (Rahul Gandhi) will follow the tradition after winning the election,” she said.

Priyanka accused the Modi government of trying to take credit for free ration scheme by putting his photograph on the papers related to the scheme, saying it was the Congress-led UPA government that brought the Right to Food Act.

The Congress leader also targeted the BJP over frequent question paper leaks in UP and promised stringent laws to stop such leaks amid huge applause from the crowd. She promised to do away with GST on education and scrap the Agniveer scheme for recruitment in the armed forces if her party comes to power at the Centre. The Congress general secretary also spoke about creating a Rs 5,000 crore fund to help small entrepreneurs

“Priyanka now has five more rallies lined up for the day. She has been holding at least six rallies daily in the constituency,” says Congress worker Ram Pal.

Priyanka has been spearheading the campaign in Rae Bareli since Rahul threw in his hat replacing his mother Sonia Gandhi, who served four consecutive terms as the Rae Bareli MP before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.

Deenu Singh, in charge of Dalmau block in Rae Bareli, says Congress workers are leaving no stone unturned to make sure that Rahul Gandhi wins by a huge margin, at least five lakh votes, over his BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh. “We have a strong organisational structure in this constituency which starts from the booth level,” says Singh.

The Congress is also pinning its hopes on the disquiet in the BJP camp against Dinesh Singh. Singh’s candidature led to discontent among BJP leaders and cadre, including Rae Bareli MLA Aditi Singh and a prominent Brahmin leader, Manoj Pandey. Congress leaders say Union Home Minister Amit Shah had to chip in to solve the rumblings within the BJP. “Singh is facing heat from his assembly constituency. People are unhappy with the land dealings of his brothers,” said a BJP leader.

Rae Bareli has been a Congress stronghold since 1951. Former PM Indira Gandhi won from Rae Bareli three times and the constituency was also held by Indira’s husband Feroze Gandhi twice, in 1952 and 1957. Sonia won from Rae Bareli for the first time in 2004 by a margin of more than 2.49 lakh votes. Only in 1962 and 1999, a member of the Gandhi family had not contested from the seat.

“Rae Bareli and Amethi are special as the constituencies carry the legacy of the family as well as the party’s ethos,” says Congress functionary Ram Lal. While there are questions on choosing between Wayanad and Rae Bareli in case Rahul wins from both the seats, Deenu Singh says they have no qualms if the Congress leader chooses Wayanad. Rahul Gandhi became Lok Sabha MP from Wayand after losing the family turf of Amethi to Union minister Smriti Irani in 2019.

“If Rahul Gandhi wins both seats and if he retains Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi will contest the by-election and she will win the Rae Bareli seat. This is a Gandhi family bastion and we are happy with any member of the family,” says Singh.

Shivpal Yadav, a Samajwadi Party (SP) worker, echoes the view. “Priyanka is closely associated with the constituency. We have seen her from her childhood. If Rahul Gandhi retains Wayanad, his decision will be wholeheartedly accepted by party workers and the public alike,” he said.

The cadre is also upbeat over the alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP), which has a significant presence in the constituency.

The SP won four assembly seats in Rae Bareli constituency in the 2022 assembly polls, points out an SP leader who attended the Priyanka’s rally. “We have extended full support to the alliance,” he said.