Shouldn't I fight from Varanasi? Priyanka Gandhi quips
Rae Bareli (UP), Mar 29: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has thrown a hint that she is not averse to taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his own Lok Sabha constituency.
"Shouldn't I fight from Varanasi?" Vadra said when a party worker asked her to contest from Rae Bareli, according to a participant at the meeting.
During a visit to Rae Bareli, the constituency of her mother, Sonia Gandhi, Vadra held meetings with party leaders and workers late into Thursday night and faced fresh demands for entering the electoral battle from the constituency.
On Wednesday, in a brief interaction with the media in Amethi, the constituency of her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Vadra had said she would contest the election if the party wants her to do so.
At the Bhueymau guest house in RaeBareli on Thursday, the Congress incharge of eastern Uttar Pradesh had asked the party workers to highlight among the people the alleged failures and failed promises of the Modi government.
There is no dearth of issues for the Congress. Workers have to go among the people, Vadra told the party workers who had come from all the assembly segments, as well as the workers of the Jan Adhikar Party, the grand old party's alliance partner.
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Modi should leverage his ties with world leaders to de-escalate war in West Asia: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
