"Delhi Girl Challenging You": Priyanka Gandhi Responds To PM's Dare
New Delhi, May 8: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday sought to strike an emotional chord with people during a road show here, saying she was born in Delhi and is empathetic towards their aspirations, unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, she claimed, has been here only for five years.
Holding her first road show in the national capital in support of Sheila Dikshit, the Congress candidate for Northeast Delhi constituency, Priyanka Gandhi challenged Modi to fight polls on the issues of GST, demonetisation and women security.
The road show started in Seelampur, a minority-dominated area, and meandered with a sea of people towards Yamuna Vihar depot, where it culminated.
Perched atop a minibus, she said, "I cannot disrespect you. We are not arrogant like the BJP. We know that you have made us what we are today."
"Modi ji is in Delhi for five years. I was born in the city. I have seen every bylane. I will tell you (Modi) what the people of Delhi think. They are tired of your useless talk. You keep yourself confined to your Race Course Road residence," said Priyanka Gandhi.
Seven, Race Course Road is the official residence of the prime minister. The name of the road was changed to Lok Kalyan Marg in 2016.
Accusing Modi of destroying institutions and the BJP of playing politics in the name of religion, she said the prime minister was indulging in negative politics and cannot give a direct answer to questions on the work he did during his five years of governance.
Raking up the issue of GST, which many say was implemented in a haphazard manner, Priyanka Gandhi said the new indirect tax regime broke the back of businessmen.
The AICC general secretary also referred to the BJP's 2014 poll promises, including about providing 2 crore jobs every year.
Addressing people, she asked them if they got the jobs, to which the crowd responded in negative.
"He (Modi) failed to protect soldiers, youth and women but who will hold him accountable and who will seek answers from him," she asked the gathering. They replied, "We will."
"You have to vote and strengthen yourself. He (Modi) is destroying all institutions and they (BJP) are playing politics in name of religion. Delhi is the heart of the nation. Raise your voice... We have had enough," she said.
Gandhi and Dikshit waved at the ebullient supporters who raised slogans "Desh me aandhi Priyanka Gandhi" and "Priyanka nahi ye andhi hai dusri Indira Gandhi hai".
People jostled with each other to catch a glimpse of Priyanka Gandhi. Some were also showering rose petals on her as the minibus passed by them.
Her cavalcade curled through the lanes on the route of the road show amid a cacophony of claps, hooting, sloganeering and drum-beating.
"Sanitation is the main issue here. Manoj Tiwari (the BJP MP who is seeking reelection from the seat) was never seen here. (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal cannot run the government," said Zubair Ahmed, a resident of Seelampur.
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'Last rites' of INDIA bloc: BJP on Cong-DMK fallout in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress for extending support to Vijay's TVK in forming the government in Tamil Nadu and breaking away from its long term ally DMK, saying the party has a history of "betraying" its allies.
The saffron party also attacked the opposition INDIA bloc, claiming the alliance is "falling apart like a pack of cards" and lacks any common ideology or vision.
The Tamil Nadu Congress has decided to support TVK leader Vijay in forming a secular government in the state, sources said.
The decision to support the TVK was taken at an urgent meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of Tamil Nadu Congress late on Tuesday night.
Reacting to the development, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed the INDIA alliance had effectively come to an end after the declaration of assembly election results on May 4.
"There is nobody whom the Congress has not deceived. Imagine what they will do to the Samajwadi Party if they have done this to the DMK," he wrote in a post on X.
Calling it the "last rites" of the INDIA bloc, Poonawalla, in a video post, said, "It has become a Bharat free of the DMK, TMC and the Left, and now Congress has dumped the DMK for the TVK."
The BJP spokesperson alleged that the opposition bloc was formed solely out of political compulsions and personal ambitions.
"The INDI alliance never had any mission or vision. It was only about ambition for position, corruption, commission and obsession against Modi ji that they came together. But now it is all falling apart like a pack of cards," he said.
Questioning the unity of the opposition parties, Poonawalla said the alliance was absent in several states during the election.
"Where was the INDI alliance in Bengal, in Kerala, in Gujarat, in Punjab, in Delhi, in Haryana, in Karnataka? There is no INDI alliance," he said.
The DMK on Wednesday described the Congress move to extend support to TVK as a "backstab" by its long-time national ally.
Speaking to PTI videos, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Anadurai said, "The Congress party has decided to ally with the TVK, pledging their support to the party. I think they have backstabbed... They have backstabbed the people of Tamil Nadu. They've backstabbed the mandate given by the people of Tamil Nadu."
He said that the decision came even before the electoral process had fully concluded.
"Even before the ink on the returning officer's signature on the victory certificate dried up, they've chosen to go ahead with an alliance," he said.
Vijay's TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The results were declared only on Monday.
The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI and CPI-M have two seats each. The outgoing ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat, and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.
The Congress had fought the assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP had a tie-up with the AIADMK.
