PRIYANKA VADRA GANDHI: A BULL IN THE CHINA SHOP

FOREWORD: Courtesy to Behan Mayavati, the First Family of Congress Party is finally compelled to launch their last politically eligible member of Nehru-Gandhi clan into active politics. Although to call Smt Priyanka Vadra Gandhi’s entry into active politics is in itself a misnomer; because at no interval of time she was inactive in political arena. She was always campaigning in Raibreily and Amethi Loksabha constituencies for her mother and brother respectively. But Priyanka Gandhi’s entry as General Secretary of Congress party and in charge of Eastern UP Parliamentary constituencies has resulted in a ‘storm in tea cup’ as the English phrase goes. It is the right time for political commentators to dive deep into this political breaking news, to understand the pros and cons of the latest development and its after effects on Indian Politics.

ENTRY OF PRIYANKA GANDHI AND ITS POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Priyanka Gandhi’s entry has initiated a political debate in political circles rightly highlighted by TV news channels, print media and social media too. Political heavy weights and light weights are equally influenced by her entry and passing comments, many of them unsavory and undignified for womenfolk. We need not recollect all those comments here, but BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Subrahmnium Swami’s comment, “Priyanka Gandhi is suffering from a mental sickness called Bipolarity- she can beat anyone at slight provocation.” is worth noticing. Perhaps Mr. Swami wants to prove that before her all Indian politicians have been mentally healthy.

Samajvadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has congratulated Rahul Gandhi for bringing his sister into active UP politics. This gesture of goodwill will certainly force Behan Mayavati to raise her eyebrows and take notice of this latest political development; it’s worth mentioning here than she is only politician in UP,who has not commented upon Priyanka Gandhi’s entry in politics till date. But it is the hard fact that Smt.Sonia Gandhi considered her daughter’s active participation in Indian politics only after SP-BSP combine ditched congress party in UP and refused to make an alliance with them in 2019 Loksabha elections; but left two LS seats[Raibreily and Amethi] of mother-son duo un-contested, by taking pity upon Nehru-Gandhi family. This magnanimity of Mayavati-Akhilesh further infuriated the first family of Congress party and left them sulking politically.

Congress party’s victory in three states Vidhansabha elections raised the confidence level of Gandhi family and they took this drastic decision to teach Mayavati a lesson in the coming LS elections. After Priyanka Gandhi’s entry in active politics, there are two strong possibilities; first SP-BSP combine in UP may be compelled to make Congress party their alliance partner and offer them few more seats for contesting in UP, other than Raibreily and Amethi; the second equally strong probability is that Congress party will ruin the chances of Mayavati becoming the P.M. and Akhilesh becoming the C.M.

CONCLUSION: Priyanka Gandhi’s entry in UP politics is solely directed more to teach SP-BSP a lesson and less to ruin the chances of BJP returning to power in New Delhi. Till then the voters will enjoy the feverish comments of petty politicians caused by a ‘bull’s entry in China shop’ as the English proverb goes.