Priyanka tells Cong workers to steer clear of groupism

On a tour of Congress strongholds Amethi and Rae Bareli ahead of UP Assembly polls, Priyanka Gandhi today told party workers to bury internal differences for the party’s success while making it clear that groupism will not be tolerated. To keep a watch on groupism, flying squad teams would be constituted at the village level which would be known by a secret code, Priyanka, who began her three-day tour of Amethi and Rae Bareli, told the workers of Tiloi Assembly segment, according to party sources. The Congress sources said she told the workers to forget internal differences and work for success of party and ‘Mission 2012’. “Time is very short, party workers should reach people in villages and inform the electorate about welfare schemes of Congress and UPA government and muster support for party candidates,” the sources quoted Priyanka as saying. [caption id=“attachment_183598” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] She said workers were the backbone of the organisation and they would get full respect. However, the workers should stop groupism and strengthen Rahul Gandhi, she said. Priyanka, 40, told the workers that she would handle the party’s election campaign in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by her brother Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi respectively, and that she would start her Amethi tour from February 2. Both Rahul and Sonia would be busy electioneering elsewhere and Priyanka would be finalising the party strategy for the polls in the state, the sources said. When some Congress workers alleged that party candidate from Tiloi, Doctor Muslim, was ignoring them, she said that it was the responsibility of the candidate to work with all and she would keep a watch on this. On the problem of power and water, Priyanka said that for this, the party’s government was needed in UP, time for which has come. Earlier, her cavalcade stopped at Babuganj where some party workers demanded that a person of clean image be given a ticket for Gauriganj seat. Congress has six of the 10 assembly seats in Amethi and Rae Bareli parliamentary constituencies. The first phase of polls in UP will be held on February 8 and conclude on March 3 over seven phases. PTI