Priyanka, Rahul to campaign for Cong

Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee said the party would deploy Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi into the campaign for the coming Lok Sabha elections as the Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress passed a resolution in Delhi asking the two Gandhi children to enter politics.

Mukherjee, a CWC member, however, could not say anything about whether the two would contest the polls.

To a question whether the Congress would benefit if Priyanka and Rahul campaigned for the party, Mukherjee replied: "We are bringing them because it will be beneficial for the party. They will draw crowds. They are already drawing crowds."

Asked if they would campaign for the party throughout the country, he said their programmes were being chalked out. It would be known only after finalisation of that programme. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi would, however, campaign throughout the country, he said.

A meet of the UP Youth Congress block chief, meanwhile, in addition to demanding the two children join politics and contest the Lok Sabha polls, also sought snapping ties with the Mulayam Yadav government immediately.

Sonia Gandhi's reply was the same.

"My response is the same. I have been repeating that it is for Priyanka and Rahul to decide whether to join active politics or not. It will be better if you ask them," Gandhi told reporters after attending a separate meeting of the state chiefs of party's frontal organisations.

Earlier, at its 90-minute meeting here, presided over by AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, over 800 block presidents of the UP Youth Congress passed a resolution requesting the party high command to persuade the Gandhi children to enter active politics and contest the coming polls.

Talking to reporters, UP Youth Congress president Nadeem Asharaf Jaisi said the resolution would be presented to the Congress president today itself for consideration.

Just last week, the party confirmed that both Rahul and Priyanka had become primary members of the Congress.