• News
  • India News
  • ‘Our relationship with Amethi will never break’ - Will Rahul or Priyanka contest from Gandhi bastion?
This story is from December 20, 2021

‘Our relationship with Amethi will never break’ - Will Rahul or Priyanka contest from Gandhi bastion?

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh (UP) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were in Amethi on December 18 after a long time. The two siblings sought to strike an emotional chord with the audience and reiterated that their links with the local people had not severed despite Rahul’s defeat from the constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The two leaders gave enough hints that they might contest from the seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and afterwards.
‘Our relationship with Amethi will never break’ - Will Rahul or Priyanka contest from Gandhi bastion?
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wave at supporters as they take part in the 'Mahangai Hatao, BJP Bhagao Pratigya Padyatara', in Amethi on December 18. PTI photo
NEW DELHI: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh (UP) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were in Amethi on December 18 after a long time. The two siblings sought to strike an emotional chord with the audience and reiterated that their links with the local people had not severed despite Rahul’s defeat from the constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
The two leaders gave enough hints that they might contest from the seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and afterwards.
Rahul visited Amethi for the first time after losing to Union women and child development minister Smriti Irani of the BJP by a margin of 55,120 (5.85 per cent) votes in 2019. On the other hand, he has visited Wayanad in Kerala several times after winning in 2019.
Priyanka has visited Amethi a couple of times though she has frequented the neighbouring constituency of Rae Bareli more than that. Rae Bareli is represented by the siblings’ mother and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.
During their visit to Amethi on December 18 as part of the Congress party's 'Mahangai Hatao, BJP Bhagao Pratigya Padyatara', both Rahul and Priyanka spoke about the old, personal, emotional, and familial relationship which the Nehru-Gandhis have with the people of the constituency.
Both went on to say that the unique bond has neither broken nor would it ever break in the future, hinting enough that someone from the family might contest from Amethi in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Who will contest from Amethi and Rae Bareli?
There are four probabilities of the Nehru-Gandhis contesting from Amethi and Rae Bareli in 2024.
In the first scenario, Rahul may again contest from both Amethi and Wayanad.
In the second scenario, Rahul may contest from only Wayanad and the Nehru-Gandhis may leave it uncontested. His mother and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi may again fight the election from Rae Bareli.

The next two scenarios may develop if Sonia, who has not been keeping well for the last few years, decides to withdraw from electoral politics. In that case, Rahul may or may not contest from Amethi but Priyanka may replace Sonia in Rae Bareli.
In the fourth and last scenario, Priyanka may contest from Amethi while Rahul may shift to Rae Bareli.
What Congress, BJP spokespersons say
Talking to TOI, Congress spokesperson Mohan Prakash said the issue of the candidatures of Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka from Amethi and Rae Bareli would be decided by the Nehru-Gandhis. “The tour to Amethi and Rae Bareli was regarding the burning issues such as nationwide price rise, unemployment and threat to democratic institutions. They themselves will decide when election will come, then they will decide,” he said.
Former Congress MP Rashid Alvi also said the issue of their candidature would be decided by the family itself. “I cannot say whether Rahul or Priyanka would contest from Amethi because this is decided by the family. Every leader has a constituency of his or her own. Therefore, they are very right in saying that they have an emotional connection with Amethi and Rae Bareli,” he said.
BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli told TOI that Rahul and Priyanka were dishing out false promises once again. He said, “It is rather late in the day for the Nehru-Gandhi siblings to wake up and acknowledge total apathy, neglect and complete lack of development that they reduced Amethi to when the people of the constituency elected them with great hope and expectations.”
Kohli further said, “This would explain why the people chose to trust the leadership of Narendra Modi ji and elect Smriti Irani as their representative. People want delivery and development, not another set of false promises on the basis of emotional appeal.”
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on personal relationship with Amethi
Speaking before Rahul in Amethi, Priyanka informed the crowd that she was 13 years old when she used to live in a small village with her father Rajiv Gandhi in Tatarpur, a few kilometers from Jagdishpur in Amethi. “I used to go to villages with him to understand your problems. I am going to be 50 years old in a few days (on January 12). I have a very old relationship with you. We have maintained that relationship. I used to always say whenever I would come here that it is not a political relationship but a personal relationship, a relationship of emotions,” she said.
Priyanka said she did not have any complaints against the people and nor could there be ever. “Sometimes situations arise when the truth gets hidden despite one trying to explain things how much soever. Then the people have to understand the truth from their own experience and feelings. Such situations arose which taught us and you as well,” she said.
The Congress general secretary further said, “You conveyed a message to us. We also accepted that message. If we are standing before you today, it is because whatever situations arose, the relations between us never broke. In the last election, a net of falsehoods was spread. Who spread it? The same people who have been spreading the lies for the last two-and-a-half years and five years before that.”
She asked the crowd where their MP (Smriti Irani) was during the two Covid-19 waves? “Did she help you?” she asked, with an emphatic “no” response from the crowd.
Finally, Priyanka said, “We want to do a lot for you. Give us an opportunity. Be mature. They have misled you a lot. Wake up and be informed as always before. Who taught us whatever politics we know? You all. You all taught me that politics is service and we have to work for people, visit door-to-door to listen to people's problems and help them. Whatever we are, it is because of you all. I felt very happy after coming here after a long time. I feel proud of being a member of the Amethi family.”
Rahul Gandhi on familial ties with Amethi
Speaking after Priyanka, Rahul more or less reiterated the sentiments expressed by his sister. He said: “I am feeling very happy after returning here. I thank you for the affection you gave to us. In her speech, Priyanka spoke about the relationship between you and us. She reminded you that when we were small, we used to visit Amethi with our father Rajiv ji.”
He said today there were roads and a national highway built by the Congress governments. But roads were not there in the earlier days. “The elderly people among the audience would remember that there used to be some villages in Amethi which would become ponds during the monsoon. I remember there used to be waist-deep water. We would walk down to the villages as the vehicles could not go there. This relationship between us is several years old. It is a relationship of truth. It is not a false relationship. We speak from our heart - whether it is Priyanka, me, my father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandfather. It is a familial relationship,” Rahul said.
The former Congress president said the people talk trash (“ultee-seedhi baatein”) in politics and speak lies. “But ours is an old relationship. And this relationship will continue for a long time. Therefore, we do not have to speak lies, nor is it needed. We tread the path of truth.”
He attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that the latter lied. “When I was an MP (member of Parliament) here, I did tremendous developmental activities. The PM came here and he made false promises to you. I will give you a small example. He said the BJP (government) gave the AK-203 factory (to Amethi). But the whole world knows that the Congress party gave the factory. But the PM spoke lies because he has a political relationship with you. He does not have a familial relationship with not just you but with anyone.”
Rahul said he had visited Amethi to tell the people that they have an old, familial relationship based on truth. “This will go long and will never break. This cannot break. Why cannot it break? As Priyanka said, I came here with my father. We have been coming here for many years. When I became an MP for the first time in 2004, it was because of your blessings and love. You showered us with love, taught politics and showed me the right path. I thank you and want to assure you that this is a relationship between families and it will never break.”
Finally, Rahul said, “I want to say just one thing that you should differentiate between truth and falsehood and stand with the person speaking truth.”
Nehru-Gandhis' pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli
The return of Rahul and Priyanka to the family stronghold of Amethi and then Rae Bareli a day later holds political significance from the point of view of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Among the Nehru-Gandhis, Rahul’s uncle Sanjay Gandhi represented Amethi for the first time in Lok Sabha in 1980. However, he died in an air crash and the baton was passed on to Rahul’s father and former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi in 1981.
Rajiv Gandhi won the Amethi seat in 1981 (by-election), 1984, 1989 and in 1991.
After his assassination on May 21, 1991, his wife Sonia Gandhi successfully contested from Amethi in 1999. However, she shifted to Rae Bareli and handed over Amethi to Rahul in 2004. Rahul won the 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections before losing to Smriti Irani in 2019.
Meanwhile, Sonia has won all the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019. However, she has fallen sick and has restricted her movement, not visiting Rae Bareli even once since 2019.
Like Amethi, Rae Bareli is also a Nehru-Gandhi family pocket borough. In the past, it has been represented by Rahul’s grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi and grandfather Feroze Gandhi.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA