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Party decided not to field me against Modi: Priyanka


Published : 30 Apr 2019 08:49 PM | Updated : 02 Sep 2020 04:49 PM

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday suggested it was the party’s decision not to field her in the contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi parliamentary constituency. "I did not pull out (of Varanasi)," Priyanka told NDTV in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi parliamentary constituency where she was campaigning for her brother Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president.

"I took the advice of all senior leaders of our party and colleagues in Uttar Pradesh. They firmly felt that I have the responsibility here of looking after 41 seats. And all candidates expected me to campaign in their constituency. I felt that they (candidates) would be disappointed if I focused on only one place," she said and disagreed that the move sent out any "wrong signaI".

Priyanka said "from the start, I had said that I would do what my party says. My party decided this so I am going with that."After four weeks of intense speculation about her contesting against Modi, the Congress announced last week that not Priyanka Gandhi but Ajay Rai, a local Congress leader, would be the party's candidate again against Modi in Varanasi.