UP politicians rely on caste, religion to get votes, not performance: Priyanka Gandhi

Lucknow: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the focus on caste and religion in Uttar Pradesh politics has made politicians complacent, making them sideline the real issues. Gandhi accepted that the Congress organisation had weakened in the state over the past few decades but the party has worked hard now to rebuild it and reconnect with the public.

On a question related to the dominance of caste and religion in Uttar Pradesh since 1989, Gandhi told PTI, “It is correct that UP's politics has become about caste and religion, but the fact is that this kind of politics has contributed nothing to the progress of the state. It has not only pushed the state back but has enabled the political class to become complacent.”

“The average politician of UP believes that he will get votes on the basis of religion and caste anyway so what need does he have to perform on other counts? He can sideline the real issues of the public with ease. This is a very unhealthy development in a democracy,” she said.

“It effectively means that development, governance and economics take a back seat as emotions linked to caste and religion drive politics,” Gandhi said in written answers to questions sent to her. “We are the only party that has offered a well thought out plan for women, youth and indeed for every aspect of UP's social and political upliftment and presented it in our manifestos.

We believe that politicians must be held accountable for governance and development and are spreading this message across the state,” she said. Asked how strong the Congress cadre in Uttar Pradesh is as the party has not been in power for the last 33 years, Gandhi said, “Our organisation in UP had been progressively weakened over the last few decades.

For a number of elections due to alliances, we did not even put up candidates in as many as two to three hundred seats.” “What I faced when I first came here was almost a complete erosion of our cadre although some old congressmen and women were still standing strong despite this,” she added. (PTI)