The election campaign to be held by Priyanka Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Amethi has been keeping the local Congress workers on the tenterhooks.

The earlier plan to reach Amethi on February 13&nbsp;and begin the campaign the next day&nbsp;has been delayed due to complications. Sources say that the decision to reschedule the dates took place after Priyanka received a different feedback from local Congress workers.

Sources to WION also confirmed that there are three&nbsp;seats in the family stronghold which will be contested by both the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, which has complicated the programme further.

&ldquo;How can you expect our leader not to campaign for the Congress candidates even if they are engaged in a friendly fight,&rdquo; said a source.

Local leaders also confided to WION that they suspect that Mulayam Singh Yadav also intends to campaign in the Gandhi borough.

Some leaders in Rae Bareli&nbsp;say that that alliance has benefitted the Congress through the state but hasn&rsquo;t helped them in the constituencies of Rae Bareli&nbsp;and Amethi.

It is because of these considerations that Priyanka Gandhi&#39;s final programme&nbsp;is getting delayed.

The feeling in the local unit is that since couple of expelled SP leaders are also contesting elections on different symbols, they may spoil the chance of Congress candidates, which would reflect badly on Priyanka.

One of the political aides close to Priyanka also suggested that they are ready to campaign in the districts without her but the biggest worry is that lack of clarity has stalled their own local campaign.

On top of it, Priyanka is also more keen on workers&#39; meet instead of door-to-door campaigning which is being opposed by the local workers. Sources say that local workers want Priyanka campaign widely and hold public rallies. &nbsp;

Lastly, there is also an element of wariness&nbsp;in the Congress ranks about the perils of overexposing Priyanka in Uttar Pradesh so that the mistake of 2012 is not repeated.

Priyanka is expected to contest Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and Congress till then would not like to show its hand. So a limited, defined and short campaign burst is being expected from her&nbsp;this time around which would be different from 2012 where she held more than 200 nukkad sabhas (public campaigning) in both the constituencies.

(WION)

Priyanka Gandhi was earlier scheduled to campaign in the Congress borough, but SP's presence there has complicated matters

The election campaign to be held by Priyanka Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Amethi has been keeping the local Congress workers on the tenterhooks. The earlier plan to reach Amethi on February 13 and begin the campaign the next day has been delayed due to complications. Sources say that the decision to reschedule the dates took place after Priyanka received a different feedback from local Congress workers. Sources to WION also confirmed that there are three seats in the family stronghold which will be contested by both the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, which has complicated the programme further. “How can you expect our leader not to campaign for the Congress candidates even if they are engaged in a friendly fight,” said a source. Local leaders also confided to WION that they suspect that Mulayam Singh Yadav also intends to campaign in the Gandhi borough. Some leaders in Rae Bareli say that that alliance has benefitted the Congress through the state but hasn’t helped them in the constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi. It is because of these considerations that Priyanka Gandhi's final programme is getting delayed. The feeling in the local unit is that since couple of expelled SP leaders are also contesting elections on different symbols, they may spoil the chance of Congress candidates, which would reflect badly on Priyanka. One of the political aides close to Priyanka also suggested that they are ready to campaign in the districts without her but the biggest worry is that lack of clarity has stalled their own local campaign. On top of it, Priyanka is also more keen on workers' meet instead of door-to-door campaigning which is being opposed by the local workers. Sources say that local workers want Priyanka campaign widely and hold public rallies. Lastly, there is also an element of wariness in the Congress ranks about the perils of overexposing Priyanka in Uttar Pradesh so that the mistake of 2012 is not repeated. Priyanka is expected to contest Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and Congress till then would not like to show its hand. So a limited, defined and short campaign burst is being expected from her this time around which would be different from 2012 where she held more than 200 nukkad sabhas (public campaigning) in both the constituencies. (WION)

India: Priyanka Gandhi's Uttar Pradesh poll campaign delayed over 'friendly' SP tussle

WION&#39;s chief domestic correspondent Kartikeya Sharma spoke with the usually taciturn Congress leader Ahmed Patel after the budget. Patel gave his review of the budget, and also spoke of the controversy around the death of former union minister and Indian Union Muslim League national president E Ahamed -- his family alleged they were not allowed to see him at the government-run RML Hospital -- the Congress&#39; alliance with the Samajwadi Party in UP, and Priyanka Gandhi. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Question: Sir, how do you rate this budget? Will it help the people?

Answer: No I&rsquo;m not impressed with this budget. People expected lot from this budget. Poor people and businessmen had hope that this budget will do something for them but it didn&rsquo;t. This budget is nothing but an exercise to cover the blunder of demonetisation. People expected big reforms in the income tax slabs but the benefits will not be more than 10 to 12,000 rupees. Farmers didn&rsquo;t get anything. Famers were hoping that the government would write of their debt but it didn&rsquo;t happen. It is a budget of promises and less on concrete action. 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;Q: The budget also focuses on political funding. It could be looked at as an attempt to do away with black money from the political arena? 
A: Well an attempt has been made and we welcome it. The slab of 20,000 has been reduced to 2,000. We also want elections to become transparent. I don&rsquo;t think much will come out of it. 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;Q: The BJP says the budget is for the poor, and they will benefit the most from it? 
&nbsp;A: There is nothing for the poor. There is nothing for the workers. Yes, there are some benefits but government has already made its money through excise and petrol and diesel prices. This benefit too should reach people. These are small benefits. 
&nbsp; 
Q: Then how would you rate this budget? How would you define this budget? 
&nbsp;A: I will give this budget 3 out of 10. It is a routine budget and doesn&rsquo;t help common man. This budget doesn&rsquo;t give that message. People are still suffering from demonetisation. A dream was sold that money from rich people will flow down to the poor. The government sold a dream. 
&nbsp; 
Q: Mr Patel, what exactly happened on Tuesday night at RML Hospital. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had to rush there and only then was the body (of E Ahamed) released... 
&nbsp;A: I don&rsquo;t know why hospital authority did this. We were informed after 10 pm by the family members of E Ahmad. We rushed to the hospital. The kids came from far away. They doctors behaved in a strange way. We went but were turned away. We wanted to know about the treatment. We were denied the information. The doctors should have consulted the family members. Real situation should have been informed to the family. There should be an enquiry and health ministry should find out what happen. Imagine what must be happening to common people. Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had to be there. Imagine the plight of those who don&rsquo;t have political muscle. 
&nbsp; 
Q: You have forged an alliance in UP. What makes you believe this alliance will succeed in UP now? 
&nbsp;A: The decision was taken to forge the alliance to stop communal forces. We wanted to stop forces who want to divide the nation. We don&rsquo;t want them to succeed in Uttar Pradesh. This alliance is not about the Congress but about UP. Uttar Pradesh will benefit from it. 
&nbsp; 
Q: There was a tweet of yours on the party (and Priyanka). Lot was made out of it. What do you have to say on it? 
&nbsp;A: I said what I had to say and the matter ends there.

(WION)

The Congress leader says it was a budget of promises, not of concrete action

WION's chief domestic correspondent Kartikeya Sharma spoke with the usually taciturn Congress leader Ahmed Patel after the budget. Patel gave his review of the budget, and also spoke of the controversy around the death of former union minister and Indian Union Muslim League national president E Ahamed -- his family alleged they were not allowed to see him at the government-run RML Hospital -- the Congress' alliance with the Samajwadi Party in UP, and Priyanka Gandhi. Question: Sir, how do you rate this budget? Will it help the people? Answer: No I’m not impressed with this budget. People expected lot from this budget. Poor people and businessmen had hope that this budget will do something for them but it didn’t. This budget is nothing but an exercise to cover the blunder of demonetisation. People expected big reforms in the income tax slabs but the benefits will not be more than 10 to 12,000 rupees. Farmers didn’t get anything. Famers were hoping that the government would write of their debt but it didn’t happen. It is a budget of promises and less on concrete action. Q: The budget also focuses on political funding. It could be looked at as an attempt to do away with black money from the political arena? A: Well an attempt has been made and we welcome it. The slab of 20,000 has been reduced to 2,000. We also want elections to become transparent. I don’t think much will come out of it. Q: The BJP says the budget is for the poor, and they will benefit the most from it? A: There is nothing for the poor. There is nothing for the workers. Yes, there are some benefits but government has already made its money through excise and petrol and diesel prices. This benefit too should reach people. These are small benefits. Q: Then how would you rate this budget? How would you define this budget? A: I will give this budget 3 out of 10. It is a routine budget and doesn’t help common man. This budget doesn’t give that message. People are still suffering from demonetisation. A dream was sold that money from rich people will flow down to the poor. The government sold a dream. Q: Mr Patel, what exactly happened on Tuesday night at RML Hospital. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had to rush there and only then was the body (of E Ahamed) released... A: I don’t know why hospital authority did this. We were informed after 10 pm by the family members of E Ahmad. We rushed to the hospital. The kids came from far away. They doctors behaved in a strange way. We went but were turned away. We wanted to know about the treatment. We were denied the information. The doctors should have consulted the family members. Real situation should have been informed to the family. There should be an enquiry and health ministry should find out what happen. Imagine what must be happening to common people. Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had to be there. Imagine the plight of those who don’t have political muscle. Q: You have forged an alliance in UP. What makes you believe this alliance will succeed in UP now? A: The decision was taken to forge the alliance to stop communal forces. We wanted to stop forces who want to divide the nation. We don’t want them to succeed in Uttar Pradesh. This alliance is not about the Congress but about UP. Uttar Pradesh will benefit from it. Q: There was a tweet of yours on the party (and Priyanka). Lot was made out of it. What do you have to say on it? A: I said what I had to say and the matter ends there. (WION)

Budget nothing but an exercise to cover blunder of demonetisation: Ahmed Patel

By Iftikhar Gilani

Despite the two parties sealing an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh, leaders of both the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) are still at loggerheads over seat sharing, particularly in Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, which are the bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The two parties have failed to reach an agreement over 10 seats which fall in the two Lok Sabha constituencies. While the Amethi Parliamentary seat is held by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli is represented by his mother and party President Sonia Gandhi.

Citing a general understanding between chief minister Akhilesh Singh and Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that sitting MLAs would not be disturbed, the SP has announced candidates for seven of those 10 seats, where it is already in power, leaving just three for its alliance partner. In retaliation, the Congress is now preparing to declare candidates for all 10 seats that it claims as its own and a reference point for the revival of the party&rsquo;s fortune in this critical state.

In the 2012 Assembly election, SP had won three seats in Amethi and four seats in Rae Bareli. The Congress won just two seats in Amethi but drew a blank in Sonia Gandhi&rsquo;s constituency.

Congress workers, who had been preparing to regain those seats, are reportedly offended at getting just three seats. To add insult to injury, the SP has fielded known Sonia and Rahul baiters Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi and Rakesh Pratap Singh from Garuriganj. In Rae Bareli, it has nominated Asha Kishore from Salon, Devendra Pratap Singh from Sareni and Manoj Kumar Pandey from Unchahar. All of them are currently MLAs.

Sources say local Congress workers have refused to campaign for these SP candidates. Admitting difficulties, Deepak Singh, an Amethi native and Congress Member of the Legislative Council, said he and other workers have over the past five years highlighted misdeeds and lack of commitment of the SP MLAs.

&ldquo;With what face will we now go door to door and ask people to vote for them?&rdquo; he questions.

Meanwhile, sources say the issue is not only about the Nehru-Gandhi bastions, but that confusion reigns over other seats as well.

After several rounds of negotiations in Lucknow over the Amethi-Rae Bareli seats, the squabbling has now reached the national capital, with Congress leaders asking Priyanka to intervene. Congress leaders say they gave up their claim on the Lucknow Cantonment seat, a party bastion, in order to accommodate Yadav family daughter-in-law Aparna. Party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was still time left to decide on these seats, as they are going to polls in phase IV and V on February 23 and 27 respectively.

SP leaders point out that in 2012, despite Priyanka Gandhi&rsquo;s strenuous campaigning, Congress could retain only Jagdishpur and Tiloi seats under the Amethi parliamentary constituency. It lost all five Assembly constituencies in Rae Bareli, while the SP won four. Only Rae Bareli Sadar was won by Peace Party candidate Akhilesh Singh, whose daughter recently joined the Congress.

Tussle of two

Congress has so far officially declared 68 candidates for the 105 seats that the SP has ceded to it. In the first phase both parties have fielded candidates in as many as seven seats. In Koil seat in Aligarh district, which covers the Aligarh Muslim University and city suburbs as well as nearby Khair seats, both parties have fielded candidates

(This article first appeared in DNA)

The bone of contention is 10 seats in the Congress pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli

By Iftikhar Gilani Despite the two parties sealing an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh, leaders of both the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) are still at loggerheads over seat sharing, particularly in Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies, which are the bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The two parties have failed to reach an agreement over 10 seats which fall in the two Lok Sabha constituencies. While the Amethi Parliamentary seat is held by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Rae Bareli is represented by his mother and party President Sonia Gandhi. Citing a general understanding between chief minister Akhilesh Singh and Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that sitting MLAs would not be disturbed, the SP has announced candidates for seven of those 10 seats, where it is already in power, leaving just three for its alliance partner. In retaliation, the Congress is now preparing to declare candidates for all 10 seats that it claims as its own and a reference point for the revival of the party’s fortune in this critical state. In the 2012 Assembly election, SP had won three seats in Amethi and four seats in Rae Bareli. The Congress won just two seats in Amethi but drew a blank in Sonia Gandhi’s constituency. Congress workers, who had been preparing to regain those seats, are reportedly offended at getting just three seats. To add insult to injury, the SP has fielded known Sonia and Rahul baiters Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi and Rakesh Pratap Singh from Garuriganj. In Rae Bareli, it has nominated Asha Kishore from Salon, Devendra Pratap Singh from Sareni and Manoj Kumar Pandey from Unchahar. All of them are currently MLAs. Sources say local Congress workers have refused to campaign for these SP candidates. Admitting difficulties, Deepak Singh, an Amethi native and Congress Member of the Legislative Council, said he and other workers have over the past five years highlighted misdeeds and lack of commitment of the SP MLAs. “With what face will we now go door to door and ask people to vote for them?” he questions. Meanwhile, sources say the issue is not only about the Nehru-Gandhi bastions, but that confusion reigns over other seats as well. After several rounds of negotiations in Lucknow over the Amethi-Rae Bareli seats, the squabbling has now reached the national capital, with Congress leaders asking Priyanka to intervene. Congress leaders say they gave up their claim on the Lucknow Cantonment seat, a party bastion, in order to accommodate Yadav family daughter-in-law Aparna. Party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was still time left to decide on these seats, as they are going to polls in phase IV and V on February 23 and 27 respectively. SP leaders point out that in 2012, despite Priyanka Gandhi’s strenuous campaigning, Congress could retain only Jagdishpur and Tiloi seats under the Amethi parliamentary constituency. It lost all five Assembly constituencies in Rae Bareli, while the SP won four. Only Rae Bareli Sadar was won by Peace Party candidate Akhilesh Singh, whose daughter recently joined the Congress. Tussle of two Congress has so far officially declared 68 candidates for the 105 seats that the SP has ceded to it. In the first phase both parties have fielded candidates in as many as seven seats. In Koil seat in Aligarh district, which covers the Aligarh Muslim University and city suburbs as well as nearby Khair seats, both parties have fielded candidates (This article first appeared in DNA)

UP elections: Alliance done but SP, Cong continue to bicker over seat sharing

By Gargi Gupta and Iftikhar Gilani

They may have gone to space, won medals and been prime minister and president, but for Vinay Katiyar, and of his ilk, women in politics are only as good as their faces -- the prettier the better. And winning an election is a simple matter of fielding the prettiest face. Like a Miss India contest.

Priyanka Gandhi, in contrast, showed remarkable sangfroid when she just laughed off the BJP politician&#39;s crude sexism. Round one, in the gender sensitivity stakes, definitely goes to the Congress. Priyanka (45), daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has been made a star campaigner by her party to help out in the UP elections reacted to Katiyar&#39;s comments, saying he makes her laugh &quot;because he exposes the BJP&#39;s mindset towards the better half of the population of India!&quot;

Katiyar, however, remained unapologetic, asserting that there is nothing wrong in calling someone beautiful and should not be dubbed as sexist as he had no dirty motive except to state that &quot;we too can field beautiful women (as star campaigners)&quot; when a reporter asked if Priyanka&#39;s presence would make a difference to the Congress&#39; fortunes. He added that all he wanted to convey was that &quot;it is wrong and unfair to compare beauty with capability but the Congress is doing this&quot; and it should not be seen as objectifying a woman.

Asked to explain what many called &quot;objectification&quot;, Katiyar refused to apologise and said: &quot;I think Smriti Irani is as beautiful and she is also campaigning.&quot; To this Priyanka Gandhi, said: &quot;Ha ha ha. He&#39;s right...they do! And if that&#39;s all he sees in my colleagues who are such strong, brave and beautiful women that have battled through all sorts of hardships to get where they are, then he makes me laugh even more.&quot;

&quot;I hope he didn&#39;t mean what he said,&quot; said Poonam Mahajan, MP and BJP Yuva Morcha president. She, however, distanced the BJP from the controversy by saying that the party does more for women than the Congress. It is the Congress which can&#39;t get over its Gandhi mindset, she added.

Katiyar, who was the BJP&#39;s Ram Mandir face in the 1990s, is known for his pungent remarks. He even lobbied to be declared as the BJP&#39;s chief ministerial candidate, though he was dropped from even the party&#39;s list of 40 star campaigners.

Priyanka Gandhi&#39;s businessman-husband Robert Vadra also jumped in, slamming Katiyar and demanding a public apology from him for his &quot;misogynist and atrocious remark&quot;. Hitting the Twitter handle, he wrote: &quot;This exposes the shameful mindset of some of our political leaders. We all need to respect women and accept them as equals.&quot;

&quot;We, as a society, have to stop commoditising and objectifying women. Katiyar should publicly apologise for his remarks,&quot; Vadra said in another tweet. But Katiyar and Sharad Yadav, who voiced that other misogynistic shocker - that the vote&#39;s izzat was greater than the izzat of his voters&#39; womenfolk - are the norm rather than the exception in Indian politics, and the Congress &ndash; though on the moral high ground this time - is not free of women-baiters either.

Vaasanthi, the author of a recent book on J Jayalalithaa, entitled Amma: Jayalalithaa&#39;s Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen, recounts how, soon after posters came up announcing the then prominent filmstar&#39;s first political rally in the town of Kudallur, DMK leaders began to refer to it as the &quot;Kudallur cabaret&quot;.

The sexual innuendo was to get worse. In the book Vaasanthi writes, &quot;Jayalalitha was asked in an interview why she was in politics and she replied, quoting Gandhiji that she was there to serve the people. DMK miscreants turned around what she said - young men of Tamil Nadu,&#39; they told their supporters, here is a person offering her body in service to the people,&quot; she recounts another instance of gender persecution of women who would later be revered and feared as Puratchi Thalaivi early in her career.

If a woman politician had made it big, it must be because of a &#39;sugar daddy&#39; - so the innuendo went. In his book, Behenji, journalist Ajoy Bose refers to the disgruntled whispers within the BSP when the party founder promoted Mayawati over the heads of senior, male party members, and the open speculation of a relationship.

And if you want to run her down - make disparaging innuendoes about how she looks, and how few men would want her as SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is widely alleged to have done after the shocking incident in 1992 when Mayawati locked herself inside the Lucknow state guest house while a large mob of SP workers wrecked violence outside, threatening, she has always said, to rape and kill her.

In other words, if you can&#39;t stop her with words - use other means, i.e. violence. Mamata Banerjee, the other intrepid women politician in India, has alleged that&#39;s how the Left Front wanted to silence her, pointing to how she was beaten up by police and left goons in 1993, when she was leading a Youth Congress rally.

Ironic, isn&#39;t it, that all three women politicians have a reputation of ruling with an iron hand?

(This article first appeared in DNA)

&nbsp;

There are more beautiful women star campaigners than Priyanka Gandhi, senior BJP politician Vinay Katiyar had said

By Gargi Gupta and Iftikhar Gilani They may have gone to space, won medals and been prime minister and president, but for Vinay Katiyar, and of his ilk, women in politics are only as good as their faces -- the prettier the better. And winning an election is a simple matter of fielding the prettiest face. Like a Miss India contest. Priyanka Gandhi, in contrast, showed remarkable sangfroid when she just laughed off the BJP politician's crude sexism. Round one, in the gender sensitivity stakes, definitely goes to the Congress. Priyanka (45), daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has been made a star campaigner by her party to help out in the UP elections reacted to Katiyar's comments, saying he makes her laugh "because he exposes the BJP's mindset towards the better half of the population of India!" Katiyar, however, remained unapologetic, asserting that there is nothing wrong in calling someone beautiful and should not be dubbed as sexist as he had no dirty motive except to state that "we too can field beautiful women (as star campaigners)" when a reporter asked if Priyanka's presence would make a difference to the Congress' fortunes. He added that all he wanted to convey was that "it is wrong and unfair to compare beauty with capability but the Congress is doing this" and it should not be seen as objectifying a woman. Asked to explain what many called "objectification", Katiyar refused to apologise and said: "I think Smriti Irani is as beautiful and she is also campaigning." To this Priyanka Gandhi, said: "Ha ha ha. He's right...they do! And if that's all he sees in my colleagues who are such strong, brave and beautiful women that have battled through all sorts of hardships to get where they are, then he makes me laugh even more." "I hope he didn't mean what he said," said Poonam Mahajan, MP and BJP Yuva Morcha president. She, however, distanced the BJP from the controversy by saying that the party does more for women than the Congress. It is the Congress which can't get over its Gandhi mindset, she added. Katiyar, who was the BJP's Ram Mandir face in the 1990s, is known for his pungent remarks. He even lobbied to be declared as the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, though he was dropped from even the party's list of 40 star campaigners. Priyanka Gandhi's businessman-husband Robert Vadra also jumped in, slamming Katiyar and demanding a public apology from him for his "misogynist and atrocious remark". Hitting the Twitter handle, he wrote: "This exposes the shameful mindset of some of our political leaders. We all need to respect women and accept them as equals." "We, as a society, have to stop commoditising and objectifying women. Katiyar should publicly apologise for his remarks," Vadra said in another tweet. But Katiyar and Sharad Yadav, who voiced that other misogynistic shocker - that the vote's izzat was greater than the izzat of his voters' womenfolk - are the norm rather than the exception in Indian politics, and the Congress – though on the moral high ground this time - is not free of women-baiters either. Vaasanthi, the author of a recent book on J Jayalalithaa, entitled Amma: Jayalalithaa's Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen, recounts how, soon after posters came up announcing the then prominent filmstar's first political rally in the town of Kudallur, DMK leaders began to refer to it as the "Kudallur cabaret". The sexual innuendo was to get worse. In the book Vaasanthi writes, "Jayalalitha was asked in an interview why she was in politics and she replied, quoting Gandhiji that she was there to serve the people. DMK miscreants turned around what she said - young men of Tamil Nadu,' they told their supporters, here is a person offering her body in service to the people," she recounts another instance of gender persecution of women who would later be revered and feared as Puratchi Thalaivi early in her career. If a woman politician had made it big, it must be because of a 'sugar daddy' - so the innuendo went. In his book, Behenji, journalist Ajoy Bose refers to the disgruntled whispers within the BSP when the party founder promoted Mayawati over the heads of senior, male party members, and the open speculation of a relationship. And if you want to run her down - make disparaging innuendoes about how she looks, and how few men would want her as SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is widely alleged to have done after the shocking incident in 1992 when Mayawati locked herself inside the Lucknow state guest house while a large mob of SP workers wrecked violence outside, threatening, she has always said, to rape and kill her. In other words, if you can't stop her with words - use other means, i.e. violence. Mamata Banerjee, the other intrepid women politician in India, has alleged that's how the Left Front wanted to silence her, pointing to how she was beaten up by police and left goons in 1993, when she was leading a Youth Congress rally. Ironic, isn't it, that all three women politicians have a reputation of ruling with an iron hand? (This article first appeared in DNA)

Sexist remark against Priyanka Gandhi: Will politicos mind their language?

Amid sexist remarks made by the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP? Vinay Katiyar on Wednesday stroked a controversy by saying that there are more beautiful campaigners that Priyanka Gandhi.

&quot;How does it affect. There are more beautiful girls and women who are star campaigner. There are some actress, artists,&quot; Katiyar said.

Katiyar, who is also the founder-president of Bajrang Dal made remarks when he was asked about the election campaign.

A day ago, BJP&#39;s Uttar Pradesh chief Keshav Prasad Maurya raked up the contentious issue of Ram Temple before the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on February 11, saying a &quot;grand&quot; temple will be built in Ayodhya if BJP secures an outright majority.

&quot;Ram Mandir is a subject of faith. It is not going to be built in two months. The temple will be constructed after the elections. BJP will come to power with a full majority,&quot; he told reporters here.

Whereas Sharad Yadav stirred a controversy saying, &quot;Honour of vote is bigger and more important than honour of daughter. If daughter&#39;s honour is compromised, it only affects the village or community but if the vote&#39;s honour is compromised, it impacts the entire nation,&quot; Yadav said.

Meanwhile, The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a notice to the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav for his derogatory remark on women.

(This report first appeared on DNA)

'How does it affect. There are more beautiful girls and women who are star campaigner. There are some actress, artists,' Katiyar said

Amid sexist remarks made by the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP? Vinay Katiyar on Wednesday stroked a controversy by saying that there are more beautiful campaigners that Priyanka Gandhi. "How does it affect. There are more beautiful girls and women who are star campaigner. There are some actress, artists," Katiyar said. Katiyar, who is also the founder-president of Bajrang Dal made remarks when he was asked about the election campaign. A day ago, BJP's Uttar Pradesh chief Keshav Prasad Maurya raked up the contentious issue of Ram Temple before the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on February 11, saying a "grand" temple will be built in Ayodhya if BJP secures an outright majority. "Ram Mandir is a subject of faith. It is not going to be built in two months. The temple will be constructed after the elections. BJP will come to power with a full majority," he told reporters here. Whereas Sharad Yadav stirred a controversy saying, "Honour of vote is bigger and more important than honour of daughter. If daughter's honour is compromised, it only affects the village or community but if the vote's honour is compromised, it impacts the entire nation," Yadav said. Meanwhile, The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a notice to the Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav for his derogatory remark on women. (This report first appeared on DNA)

There are pretty campaigners than Priyanka Gandhi, says BJP leader Vinay Katiyar

The Congress party in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is toying with the idea of using &quot;insider vs outsider&quot;&nbsp;idiom in the upcoming assembly elections. A highly placed source in the campaign team confirmed to WION that Congress would like to portray Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi as local boys against Narendra Modi as an outsider.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We have not formalised the proposal but it is one idea we would like to play with,&rdquo; the source said. The reason why Congress has zeroed in on this idea is because the BJP has not declared a chief ministerial candidate for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and would be banking on the charisma of Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

The source also said that since it is an assembly election Akhilesh and Rahul can easily be portrayed as local boys and the prime minister as a rank outsider since the chief minister&#39;s face is the one that stays back in the state once the election is over. 
&nbsp; 
The idea also stands an equally good chance of running in hot water as Modi as a national campaigner is still the most powerful face in the country. Narendra Modi also happens to be a sitting member of parliament (MP) from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

By calling him an outsider, Modi can also get to play on an emotional pitch that flimsy issues are being used to personally target him and lastly even Gandhis migrated from Kashmir and settled in Allahabad which embraced them as their own.&nbsp;

Finally, the idea that the prime minister who has the national mandate be called an outsider in itself looks weak when it was under his leadership that the BJP won 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the general elections in 2014. 
&nbsp; 
Many would say that this goes with Prashant Kishore&rsquo;s style which relies on powerful hashtags focused on a face rather than party issues. Even in this case Prashant Kishore will campaign focusing on the face rather than manifesto promises. From &quot;chai par charcha&quot;, and &quot;Bihar mein bahar ho, Nitish Kumar ho&quot; to &quot;Coffee with Captain&quot; and now &quot;Rawat sang dawat&quot;, all have been produced by Kishore&rsquo;s team. 
&nbsp; 
The sources also indicated that Priyanka Gandhi&rsquo;s role in UP campaign will remain very limited and focus will only be on the campaign of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. The source also confirmed to WION that Priyanka&rsquo;s campaign will be limited to Rai Barelli and Amethi and that too will remain low profile in nature. Sources said that SP-Congress campaign would have more local flavour than national.&nbsp;

(WION)

Sources also said that Priyanka Gandhi is likely to play a limited role in the upcoming UP assembly elections

The Congress party in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is toying with the idea of using "insider vs outsider" idiom in the upcoming assembly elections. A highly placed source in the campaign team confirmed to WION that Congress would like to portray Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi as local boys against Narendra Modi as an outsider. “We have not formalised the proposal but it is one idea we would like to play with,” the source said. The reason why Congress has zeroed in on this idea is because the BJP has not declared a chief ministerial candidate for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and would be banking on the charisma of Narendra Modi. The source also said that since it is an assembly election Akhilesh and Rahul can easily be portrayed as local boys and the prime minister as a rank outsider since the chief minister's face is the one that stays back in the state once the election is over. The idea also stands an equally good chance of running in hot water as Modi as a national campaigner is still the most powerful face in the country. Narendra Modi also happens to be a sitting member of parliament (MP) from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. By calling him an outsider, Modi can also get to play on an emotional pitch that flimsy issues are being used to personally target him and lastly even Gandhis migrated from Kashmir and settled in Allahabad which embraced them as their own. Finally, the idea that the prime minister who has the national mandate be called an outsider in itself looks weak when it was under his leadership that the BJP won 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the general elections in 2014. Many would say that this goes with Prashant Kishore’s style which relies on powerful hashtags focused on a face rather than party issues. Even in this case Prashant Kishore will campaign focusing on the face rather than manifesto promises. From "chai par charcha", and "Bihar mein bahar ho, Nitish Kumar ho" to "Coffee with Captain" and now "Rawat sang dawat", all have been produced by Kishore’s team. The sources also indicated that Priyanka Gandhi’s role in UP campaign will remain very limited and focus will only be on the campaign of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. The source also confirmed to WION that Priyanka’s campaign will be limited to Rai Barelli and Amethi and that too will remain low profile in nature. Sources said that SP-Congress campaign would have more local flavour than national. (WION)

UP elections: Akhilesh & Rahul to fight on 'insider vs outsider' card

Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders engaged in thrashing out the contours of their alliance by exchanging lists of seats and candidates last week were in for a rude shock to find Muawiyah Ali, who had won Deoband by-poll elections last year, in both parties&#39; lists.

The Congress had claimed the seat, saying it had wrested it from the SP only last year by a margin of 3,400 votes. Ironically, the party seemed to be blissfully unaware that Ali had since joined the SP and being the sitting MLA, had got that party&rsquo;s ticket. The Congress managed to get the seat but immediately replaced Ali with Mukesh Chaudhary. Ali, after realising the seat had gone to the Congress, reportedly insisted on fielding his wife who he claimed was still a party member.

The comedy of errors is a perfect illustration of how the Congress and the SP are targeting the same target audience in their bid to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state; in the 2014 general elections, the right-wing party swept through the state, winning 71 of 80 Lok Sabha seats.

But the alliance has not been smooth sailing; that ship many a time came close to crashing on the rocks of political obstinacy and unpredictability. It finally took the firm hands of two women &mdash; Priyanka Gandhi and Dimple Yadav, both furiously backchanneling at the close &mdash; to steady nerves on both sides and bring the ship safely into harbour.

Sources in both parties told DNA that the alliance, finalised only yesterday, was part of backroom discussions since October 2016, when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi wound up his 3,500-km &lsquo;Kisan Yatra&rsquo; across 48 districts and 141 Assembly segments. Upon returning Delhi, he reportedly toned down his initial resistance towards an alliance after a number of local leaders told him that going it alone would not cut much ice in a four-way contest and would only benefit the BJP.

Insiders say that most workers, including state unit chief Raj Babbar, initially favoured opening talks with the Bahujan SamaJ party (BSP). Those plans were scuttled after Mayawati rejected the overtures, saying she was only interested in a post-election tie-up.

Campaign strategist Prashant Kishor, who had earlier been asked to stay away from the state&rsquo;s matters, was brought back to establish contact with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, a move that coincided with the ongoing internecine Yadav family feud.

However, sources say it was only after the other Gandhi scion, Priyanka, came into the picture that Rahul gave his go-ahead for the alliance. She also reportedly shot down his idea of taking advantage of the SP infighting, as well as of demanding at least 200 seats, pointing out that the party likely did not have that many viable candidates.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh was not sure of getting the party symbol and feared that his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav could field candidates to undermine his chances. To shore up his strength, therefore, claim Congress leaders, Akhilesh had himself offered 144 seats to them. But when the dust settled on the SP&rsquo;s internal war, with Akhilesh firmly in the saddle, his aides opposed giving more than 80 seats to the Congress.

It was again left to Priyanka, who worked with Akhilesh&rsquo;s wife Dimple, to salvage the alliance. Over the past month, it is believed that Priyanka made at least three trips to Lucknow by a special aircraft to carry on negotiations, without anyone having an inkling of what she was up to. On Friday, after the SP announced its list of candidates, Priyanka is believed to have exchanged as many as a dozen text messages with Akhilesh and his wife Dimple.

In one, she is understood to have written something along the lines of &lsquo;If you do not align with Congress, it that means the Samajwadi Party is supporting the rule of BJP&rsquo;. Akhilesh, said an person familiar with the exchange, replied that that situation would never arise so long as Mulayam Yadav was the driving force of the party.

The only other persons in the loop were Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad &mdash; whose role was a surprise, given his past opposition to such an alliance &mdash; and Akhilesh&rsquo;s uncle Ram Gopal Yadav. It was finally Azad who broke the news of the alliance and asked local Congress leaders to identify seats. Azad reportedly met Ram Gopal secretly at least thrice to finalise the deal. In the 2012 elections, the SP had won 226 seats while the Congress had a mere 20 MLAs since eight of its members, including former state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi, later defected to other parties.

Psychologically, they say, it will help Akhilesh beat anti-incumbency and pull floating voters, and also defeat the BJP strategy to divide the Muslim vote. Both parties are aiming for 35-37 per cent votes by targeting 25 per cent non-Muslims and attracting Muslims, who are 18 per cent of the population.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

Priyanka Gandhi and Dimple Yadav worked furiously behind the scenes to get the alliance going

Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders engaged in thrashing out the contours of their alliance by exchanging lists of seats and candidates last week were in for a rude shock to find Muawiyah Ali, who had won Deoband by-poll elections last year, in both parties' lists. The Congress had claimed the seat, saying it had wrested it from the SP only last year by a margin of 3,400 votes. Ironically, the party seemed to be blissfully unaware that Ali had since joined the SP and being the sitting MLA, had got that party’s ticket. The Congress managed to get the seat but immediately replaced Ali with Mukesh Chaudhary. Ali, after realising the seat had gone to the Congress, reportedly insisted on fielding his wife who he claimed was still a party member. The comedy of errors is a perfect illustration of how the Congress and the SP are targeting the same target audience in their bid to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state; in the 2014 general elections, the right-wing party swept through the state, winning 71 of 80 Lok Sabha seats. But the alliance has not been smooth sailing; that ship many a time came close to crashing on the rocks of political obstinacy and unpredictability. It finally took the firm hands of two women — Priyanka Gandhi and Dimple Yadav, both furiously backchanneling at the close — to steady nerves on both sides and bring the ship safely into harbour. Sources in both parties told DNA that the alliance, finalised only yesterday, was part of backroom discussions since October 2016, when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi wound up his 3,500-km ‘Kisan Yatra’ across 48 districts and 141 Assembly segments. Upon returning Delhi, he reportedly toned down his initial resistance towards an alliance after a number of local leaders told him that going it alone would not cut much ice in a four-way contest and would only benefit the BJP. Insiders say that most workers, including state unit chief Raj Babbar, initially favoured opening talks with the Bahujan SamaJ party (BSP). Those plans were scuttled after Mayawati rejected the overtures, saying she was only interested in a post-election tie-up. Campaign strategist Prashant Kishor, who had earlier been asked to stay away from the state’s matters, was brought back to establish contact with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, a move that coincided with the ongoing internecine Yadav family feud. However, sources say it was only after the other Gandhi scion, Priyanka, came into the picture that Rahul gave his go-ahead for the alliance. She also reportedly shot down his idea of taking advantage of the SP infighting, as well as of demanding at least 200 seats, pointing out that the party likely did not have that many viable candidates. Meanwhile, Akhilesh was not sure of getting the party symbol and feared that his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav could field candidates to undermine his chances. To shore up his strength, therefore, claim Congress leaders, Akhilesh had himself offered 144 seats to them. But when the dust settled on the SP’s internal war, with Akhilesh firmly in the saddle, his aides opposed giving more than 80 seats to the Congress. It was again left to Priyanka, who worked with Akhilesh’s wife Dimple, to salvage the alliance. Over the past month, it is believed that Priyanka made at least three trips to Lucknow by a special aircraft to carry on negotiations, without anyone having an inkling of what she was up to. On Friday, after the SP announced its list of candidates, Priyanka is believed to have exchanged as many as a dozen text messages with Akhilesh and his wife Dimple. In one, she is understood to have written something along the lines of ‘If you do not align with Congress, it that means the Samajwadi Party is supporting the rule of BJP’. Akhilesh, said an person familiar with the exchange, replied that that situation would never arise so long as Mulayam Yadav was the driving force of the party. The only other persons in the loop were Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad — whose role was a surprise, given his past opposition to such an alliance — and Akhilesh’s uncle Ram Gopal Yadav. It was finally Azad who broke the news of the alliance and asked local Congress leaders to identify seats. Azad reportedly met Ram Gopal secretly at least thrice to finalise the deal. In the 2012 elections, the SP had won 226 seats while the Congress had a mere 20 MLAs since eight of its members, including former state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi, later defected to other parties. Psychologically, they say, it will help Akhilesh beat anti-incumbency and pull floating voters, and also defeat the BJP strategy to divide the Muslim vote. Both parties are aiming for 35-37 per cent votes by targeting 25 per cent non-Muslims and attracting Muslims, who are 18 per cent of the population. (This report first appeared in DNA)

A tale of two women: How the Congress-SP deal was salvaged

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