Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka visits Tiruchi: Monitored the Youth Congress Office-bearers’ election

After Ms Sonia Gandhi attended the inauguration of the New Secretariat building at Chennai along with Prime Minister Dr. Mohan Singh on March 13, her Children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka on Wednesday came down to Tiruchirapalli and monitored the ongoing Youth Congress Office-bearers election.

Congress general secretary and MP, Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra made a short visit to Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday evening to observe the Youth Congress organizational elections in the city.

The duo arrived in the city, around 300 km from here, from Kerala where they had attended the wedding of a close aide's son.

Mr Gandhi visited two polling stations and observed the election process and also interacted with the Youth Congress members there.

According to police, Gandhi left Tiruchirapalli around 6.30 p.m.

Rahul and Priyanka had not shown any interest to meet the press, they hade been there for two hours and they left to Delhi.

"All of a Sudden their programe arranged, we don't now why they came to Tiruchi in the name of monitoring Youth Congress office bearers election", a senior congress leader told Asian Tribune.

In a massive membership drive launched last year, around 1.3 million members were added to the Youth Congress rolls in the state, Mayura S. Jayakumar, former state Youth congress president said.

Mr Gandhi and Ms Priyanka directly drove to the YMCA Hall at Puthur from Tiruchirapalli Airport and personally supervised the ongoing elections.

Later, they inspected another polling station at suburban Kattur before emplaning for New Delhi.

Mr Gandhi avoided the reception and sends off formalities at the airport and strictly instructed party functionaries to be present only at the assigned polling stations.

Party high command Observor Murali Shetty, who was also the Returning Officer for Tiruchirapalli Lok Sabha Constituency, received Mr Gandhi and his sister at the YMCA Hall and explained the election process.

Hundreds of Congress workers, especially the youth, waiting in long queues to cast their ballot in the ongoing elections to the party's youth wing, were overjoyed when All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka entred the polling stations at YMCA Hall at suburban Kattur to supervise the voting.

At Kattur Polling Station, Mr Gandhi expressed his satisfaction at the election process and had a word with Polling Station in-charge Gopanna, according to party sources.

According to the party men, Ms Vijaya Sekar, President of the Kattur -Pappakuichi Village Panchayat who was inside the Kattur Polling Station, thanked Mr Gandhi and his sister for the smooth passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

In turn, Mr Gandhi sought her opinion about the current youth congress elections.

She told Mr Gandhi it would be very helpful to strengthen the party base in the state.

The party sources further quoted Vijaya as saying, ''Under your able stewardship, the youth who stayed away from the politics so far now turned towards the Congress Party and became sympathizers as well members of the party.'' Mr Gandhi received the opinion well and asked to work for the party further before leaving the polling booth, the sources added.

Party’s Tiruchirapalli District Farmers Wing Spokesman Puliyur A Nagarajan pleaded with Mr Gandhi that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme could be diverted for agricultural purposes as there was manpower shortage for the farming operations.

Mr Gandhi told Mr Nagarajan he would look into it.

Ms Harini, younger sister of Mrs Sujatha, City Corporation Mayor was bold enough to ask Mr Gandhi what would be the next step after the completion of the ongoing election process? Mr Gandhi told her the elected office bearers would be given adequate training in the coming days for facing the future elections as well to strengthen the party base in Tamil Nadu.

Party Men Rounded Up

Meanwhile, police took into custdy of 15 Congressmen who were waiting to present a petition to Mr Gandhi on the alleged irregularities in the ongoing elections at suburban Kattur polling stations. Though Mr Gandhi was scheduled to land yesterday around 1440 hrs, but he arrived only around 1635 hrs.

Elaborate police ‘bandobast’ was made almost throughout the entire city, especially at the airport and the polling stations which the Gandhi siblings visited.

Media persons were denied entry not only to the polling stations when Mr Gandhi and his sister were inside but also prevented from meeting them at Air Port.

- Asian Tribune -