NDA mocks Priyanka’s Assam role, calls it Congress power struggle

Patna: The ruling NDA has taken a dig at AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her appointment as chairperson of the Congress screening committee to select candidates for the upcoming Assam assembly elections.Industries minister and former Bihar BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal said the days were gone when a king’s son automatically became his heir. JD(U) national spokesman Rajeev Ranjan Prasad went further, claiming Priyanka’s new responsibility reflected an internal power tussle within the Gandhi family and the Congress organisation.Prasad alleged that the Congress leadership was seeking to sideline Priyanka by assigning her responsibility in Assam, where he claimed the party was headed for defeat. “The BJP govt has done a lot and performed well in Assam. They are set to retain power and Congress has no chance there. Since there has been a tug of war going on in the Congress as well as the family of Rahul Gandhi over the leadership role, as many in their party think Priyanka can better lead the party than her brother, the Rahul camp has sent her to Assam to clip her wings and blame her as Congress will definitely lose the assembly polls there as well,” Prasad said.The JD(U) leader also referred to recent remarks by Priyanka’s husband and businessman Robert Vadra, who said she had a bright future in politics and that people would like to see her in a top position. Vadra was reacting to reports quoting a Congress MP as saying Priyanka would prove to be a strong prime minister like Indira Gandhi.The Congress is set to contest the Assam elections in alliance with other opposition parties in a bid to wrest power from the BJP. Within the party, a section has been demanding a larger role for Priyanka following successive electoral defeats.Jaiswal questioned whether the Congress had any prominent leaders beyond Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. Drawing a comparison with the BJP, he cited the appointment of a 45-year-old party worker from Patna as the party’s national working president. He said the Congress should learn from this example, move beyond dynastic politics and provide opportunities to ordinary party workers.The NDA also targeted RJD chief Lalu Prasad over his appeal in the IRCTC case, which is scheduled to be heard by the Delhi High Court on Monday. Prasad said approaching a higher court was a legal option following the Rouse Avenue Court’s decision, as part of the judicial process. “However, they will face punishment for the wrongdoings Lalu and his family members committed,” he said.Jaiswal said the investigating agencies had presented evidence against Lalu before the court. “The matter is in court, and whatever order the court issues, everyone, including Lalu, will have to abide by it constitutionally,” he said.