After Smriti Irani’s taunt, Priyanka’s rally in Raebareli today

New Delhi, February 17

After weeks of dilly-dallying, postponements and cancellations, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to campaign for the Congress in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh state Assembly elections on Friday.

According to senior Congress leaders of Uttar Pradesh unit, Priyanka will be showing up with brother Rahul Gandhi in Rae Bareli, a parliamentary seat held by her mother Sonia Gandhi.

In a taunt clearly directed at the Congress top brass, BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani had on Thursday said that Priyanka Gandhi was not campaigning in Uttar Pradesh because of the “unfulfilled promises.”

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“She is avoiding people’s questions,” Smriti had said.  

The Congress said that Priyanka will decide where she will campaign, not Smriti.

Congress leader PC Chacko raked up Irani's education qualification row, saying that if not answering queries was an issue, then the Union Minister had a lot to answer for herself.

“When Irani was the HRD minister, there were so many queries about her wherever she went. There is a case pending about her educational qualification in the court. She herself gave a direction to a department that her education details should not be given to the RTI. If she does not want to answer these queries then she shouldn't be in politics at all,” he said, adding that it was none of Irani's business where Priyanka decided to campaign.

The Samajwadi Party said Priyanka’s presence will make a lot of difference as far as the votes are concerned.

Raebareli goes to polls on February 23 and Amethi on February 27.

The Congress will be contesting on 105 seats in the state with the Samajwadi Party are fighting 298 out of a total of 403 seats. —Agencies