Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra defended the party’s Hastinapur candidate Archana Gautam, who in the last few days has been viciously trolled for her past participation in beauty pageants.
Ms. Vadra was addressing people at Facebook Live. To a question about the BJP’s campaign against Ms. Gautam, she said, “Our candidate from Hastinapur has reached this stage after a period of struggle. The fact that she is a known face today reflects that struggle.”
Ms. Gautam joined the Congress in November last. Since her name has been announced from the seat, she has been viciously trolled both by the rival parties and the local media.
Ms. Vadra stated, “The campaign against her and especially the questions like when did you last wear a bikini or what if someone wants to marry you and so on are unwarranted. Why doesn’t the media ask Narendra Modi, who is he going to marry or not?”
No male candidate regardless of his political affiliation would have been similarly targeted, she observed.
Plea to women voters
Ms. Vadra exhorted women voters to vote for the women candidates fielded by the Congress. Each person in the list, she claimed, had gone through intense struggle. She also spoke about the Unnao rape victim’s mother, who is contesting as Congress candidate. “Imagine her plight, she lost five family members in the struggle for justice. Doesn’t she have the right to fight this battle and shouldn’t you stand by her. This is not only their struggle, this is as much your and my struggle too,” she said. Many of the women candidates who have been fielded in these elections by the Congress did not have money or muscle power. But they should not be seen as weak, because the Congress firmly stood by them, she asserted.
