Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi spoke to the media on May 1. With many questioning her lack of candidature in the Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi tried to assure everyone of her role in the party. Here are a few key quotes from her interview with Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today.
– Any government that doesn’t listen to its people; that suppresses the voice of the people, that isn’t a nationalist government.
– The most significant issues in this election are unemployment, agrarian distress. Farmers are incredibly frustrated with the situation. Nothing has been done for them in the last five years.
– The government is absolutely right. People have not received Nyay (justice). In the last five years, people have only faced injustice. They only got a government that is incompetent and cruel.
– The people were hopeful. They had aspirations. But now that hope is gone. People have lost faith in them (The BJP). Their (BJP’s) policies clearly indicate that they have no clue what the people need.
– If you don’t pay any heed to farmers for five years… don’t do anything for them, and keep them waiting, and two months before the election, if you announce a scheme, then you have no clue how much you’ve troubled the farmers.
– Your feet are no longer on the ground. You visit America and Japan, eat biryani in Pakistan.
– I sought advice from all senior party leaders. I asked all Uttar Pradesh leaders. They said if I fight from Varanasi, I will be stuck only there. They all wanted me to campaign for them.
– The day Priyanka Gandhi Vadra starts fearing defeat, is the day she will lock herself up in her home.
– We — I and other senior leaders from the party — sat and discussed and decided upon candidates from UP. Either they will win, or they will steer votes away from the BJP.
– Priyanka Gandhi is here to stay. She will help win the polls, and she will dedicate her life to this.
Watch the full interview here.