Priyanka Gandhi, Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, returned from abroad on Monday, 4 February, and met with Congress President Rahul Gandhi at his Tughlaq Road residence.
On Tuesday, 5 February, a nameplate for Priyanka was put up outside a room allotted to her at the Congress headquarters in Delhi.
Starting Thursday, 7 February, Priyanka will attend a meeting of party’s state managers, organised by Rahul, in Delhi, reported The Times of India. Priyanka is also slated to attend a meeting of state chiefs and legislature party leaders, the report added.
Priyanka, who still awaits her formal initiation into the party, might be welcomed into the party’s folds at a Congress Working Committee (CWC), where the party will prepare its strategy for Lok Sabha, The Times of India reported.
Rahul Gandhi has called a meeting of state chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders on Saturday in the national capital, to review preparedness for the general election.
According to the TOI report, the party has still not ruled out a possibility of forming an alliance with Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav's SP-BSP coalition.
Priyanka is said to have also met other Congress leaders, with whom she discussed the strategy for Uttar Pradesh-East.
Congress general secretary for UP-West, Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present during Priyanka Gandhi's meeting with Congress leaders.
‘BJP has Gone Berserk After Priyanka Took Charge’
Priyanka’s entry into politics stirred varied reactions from political folds, including from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress has accused the BJP and RSS of running a smear campaign on social media against Priyanka.
"The BJP has gone berserk after she (Priyanka) became the general secretary of the AICC in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, and they had done the same in the past with Rahul Gandhi. We have asked our party members to file the case against this in every state across India," Dev added.
A man who posted an obscene tweet with a morphed picture of Priyanka Gandhi on Twitter was also arrested by the Bihar police on Monday, 4 February.
Congress party, in a statement, alleged that BJP leaders have been making "misogynistic" comments on Gandhi Vadra since her formal entry into politics.
"But from past few days, a derogatory thread against her physical appearance is being unleashed into social media, which is completely unacceptable," the statement said.
The Congress, on Monday, also approached the cyber police and the Maharashtra State Women's Commission seeking arrests of those behind circulation of "insulting and obscene" social media posts on Priyanka.
The complaint is a part of the All India Mahila Congress' drive to lodge FIRs through all state bodies to counter the "obscene political attack" against Priyanka.
(With inputs from The Times of India and PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)