Why Cong stopped Priyanka from challenging Modi in Varanasi
When Ajay Rai was picked as the Congress party's 'strong' candidate to take on
Narendra Modi in Varanasi, it wasn't
Rahul Gandhi's comments but younger sister Priyanka's that made the headlines.
"Priyankaji ne kaha ki aap jam kar ladiye. Unhone apna personal mobile number bhi diya aur kaha ki aapko jo bhi zaroorat hogi woh aap turant bolen. (Priyankaji told me to fight to the fullest of my abilities. She gave me her personal mobile number and told me not to hesitate to ask for anything that I may need)," Rai quoted Priyanka as saying
in a Times of India report.
Now it's a little clearer why Priyanka was so keen on Rai fighting the good fight. According to
a Times of India report, Priyanka was keen on taking on Modi in Varanasi because she felt that the BJP's prime ministerial candidate was "bad for the country" and needed to be stopped.
Unnamed Congress leaders are quoted as saying that the only reason the party delayed announcing its candidate for Varanasi was because Priyanka had made a strong pitch for the task and they felt making her the candidate would help enthuse the rank and file of the party. It was also felt it would be a fitting lesson to senior party leaders who have demurred from contesting, either by citing either ill health or a desire to stay away from electoral politics.
The report cites multiple reasons why the party decided not to field her and one of them expectedly was the controversy surrounding her husband
Robert Vadra and his business dealings.
Party leaders reportedly didn't want the 'halo' around the Gandhi family to be dimmed by a possible loss, and they didn't want to accord too much importance to Modi.
But the biggest reason was apparently
Rahul Gandhi. Heading a campaign that few would give much of a chance, Congress leaders, perhaps quite rightly, felt that the emergence of Priyanka would only dilute her elder brother's campaign and also send mixed signals about who would really hold the reins of the party.
While he's maintained his optimism in leading the Congress campaign, Rahul hasn't exactly come up on top in the war of words against Modi. In perhaps his most personal attack on the BJP's prime ministerial candidate last week, Rahul pointed out that Modi hadn't ever mentioned his wife in any previous election affidavit, only to almost dissociate himself from it a day later. Priyanka wasn't as apologetic.
"They shouldn't talk about personal attacks," she told a news channel.
Far more fighting words than that of her brother. Given she's playing a more important role in this election, it's hardly surprising.
Firstpost's Sanjeev Singh has documented how Priyanka is holding the reins in the Congress party war room while Rahul travels across the country.
Husband
Robert Vadra, despite the controversy that dogged him most of last year, has managed to stay out of the limelight this year, barring when he steps out to vote. But despite the revival of Priyanka mania in the Congress,
as we've pointed out earlier, her own record at campaigning isn't exactly stellar and doesn't go beyond milking the Gandhi name and personal charisma.
And as we noted earlier, the persistent talk about Priyanka's charisma serves to underline Rahul's lack thereof, diminishing him by implicit comparison as the weaker sibling, in line for succession due to the privilege of gender rather than any natural talent.
In an election where he's already staring down the barrel, it's the last thing that Rahul needs.
Why Cong stopped Priyanka from challenging Modi in Varanasi | Firstpost
Rajinikanth told reporters outside his Poes Garden residence. Answering questions by media persons in the company of Modi, Rajinikant, dressed in starched white shirt and dhoti, said, "I am happy he is here." Shaking hands and then hugging each other in front of the huge gathering of his fans, who had thronged his residence to get a glimpse of their superstar, Rajinikanth said, "He is my well-wisher and I'm his well-wisher. 
