india

Updated: Oct 23, 2018 10:04 IST

Posters accusing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of being “missing” and terming her an “emotional blackmailer” were seen on Monday in some areas of Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of her mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, sparking a verbal spat between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The headline of the posters read “Madam Priyanka Vadra is missing,” with “emotional blackmailer” written below her picture.

Saying they were waiting for a glimpse of her, the posters cited her absence after the rail accident in Harchandpur and the tragedies at NTPC plant in Unchahar and Rowlpur in the constituency as well as in festivals.

The Congress blamed the BJP for indulging in the poster campaign with reports of 50 to 100 posters posted in the Sadar and Sareni assembly areas. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has been making serious efforts to foray into Sonia Gandhi’s constituency, which along with Amethi, held by her son and party chief Rahul Gandhi, is considered to be a Congress bastion.

“We condemn this act. Some people travelling in luxury vehicles threw or pasted the posters at some places in Rae Bareli Sunday night. We understand this has been done by some local leaders, who recently switched loyalties from the Congress to BJP. We will report this issue to the district administration as the posters do not carry the name of any printing press or any organisation,” said district Congress committee president VK Shukla.

Though Priyanka has not visited Rae Bareli for more than a year, Congress leaders, however, say she has been meeting its people regularly in New Delhi.

“Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has a personal connect with the people of Rae Bareli. She keeps on meeting them and has been campaigning in Rae Bareli and Amethi. However, in the 2017 assembly elections, she stayed away and appeared only at a public meeting in Rae Bareli. She is yet to join active politics. Yet, people in BJP are afraid of her.

“They (BJP) are reacting in this fashion when there is only apprehension that she may join active politics and contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Rae Bareli. What will happen to them if she decides to join active politics and actually contests,” said Congress MLC Deepak Singh.

Rae Bareli BJP president Ram Dev Pal said his party never resorts to such tactics and such posters targeting BJP leaders have also come up in the past.

“Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigned actively for her mother Sonia Gandhi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. She is not an office bearer of the Congress. Yet, she comes to create a poll atmosphere in her mother’s favour. This appears to be an attempt of the local Congress leaders to draw attention of the people,” said Pal.

District magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri said he has not received any complaint about any posters so far but he “will definitely look” into the matter.