Shiv Sena praises Rahul, compares Priyanka with grandmother

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday said that comments by ruling party leaders stating that Priyanka Gandhi was formally inducted due to the “failure” of her brother, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, had no substance. Ms Gandhi, like (former Prime Minister) Indira Gandhi, will emerge as the “queen” if she plays her cards well, the Sena said.

The party, in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, said Mr Gandhi would do whatever is needed to win the election and he has increased the problems of the government over the Rafale issue.

The Sena also said, that even if one ignores Mr Gandhi’s attacks at the Modi government over corruption in the Rafale deal, the Congress dethroned the BJP in three states, which had given Sanjeevani (oxygen) to his party. Despite this, not giving him credit for the wins in three states shows a closed mindset.

The Sena also praised the patience of Mr Gandhi over the alliance between Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh.

The editorial further stated that Ms Gandhi bears an uncanny resemblance to her grandmother Indira Gandhi in her looks and manner of speaking. “Hence, the Congress would surely benefit in the Hindi heartland,” it said.

“The SP and BSP tied up not giving space to the Congress. However, Rahul Gandhi, with a lot of patience, kept his cool. Mr Gandhi said that it doesn’t matter. We will fight all seats in Uttar Pradesh and will help the SP and BSP wherever possible.”

It further said that this is a strategy and later on, by bringing Priyanka into mainstream politics and giving her responsibility in Uttar Pradesh is part of the plan. It is very apparent that the Congress will benefit from this, it said.  

Referring the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reaction to the entry of Ms Gandhi in politics, the Sena said that even the Prime Minister had to weigh in on the issue. Mr Modi had said that a few people think that ‘the family is the party’. It asked, “Even if the people have accepted a family, why do some have to bellyache about it?”

The Sena also alleged that the BJP harbours ill will towards the Nehru-Gandhi family because it sees formidable competition and that it is scared of facing a stiff challenge in the general election the family would create hurdles with regards to crossing the majority mark. The Sena, however, also clarified that the party does not have affection for the Congress.

The Sena also lauded her for agreeing to join active politics without worrying about the opening of cases against her husband Robert Vadra