Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s official entry into politics on Wednesday gave not just political analysts, but cartoonists and artists also plenty of fodder. The Congress’ decision to name Vadra its general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh came as a surprise to many.
The announcement came days after the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party tied up in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but excluded the Congress. The appointment of Vadra, the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, may make the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party rethink their strategy, political commentators have said.
Priyanka Gandhi’s formal entry into politics has not just electrified her party, but also became a hotly debated topic of discussion on social media and the centre of several cartoons. Most sketches suggested that this was the Congress’ Plan B ahead of the General Elections.
Political cartoonist Satish Acharya wondered if this was the Congress’ surgical strike against the Bharatiya Janata Party. He also used the phrase “How’s the josh?” from the recently released film Uri: The Surgical Strike to mock Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, who are seen sketching Rahul Gandhi as a joker. At a recent event, Modi had used the phrase in his meeting with some members of the Hindi film industry.
Sandeep Adhwaryu’s cartoon in The Times of India showed that while this may be the Congress’ “Plan B”, BJP top honchos have another card up their sleeve. The cartoon shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a card with the words “plan V” while talking to BJP President Amit Shah. This is a reference to Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra, who is being investigated by several government agencies for allegedly dubious land deals.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s resemblance to her grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was also a recurring theme across several cartoons. Many expect that this will help the Congress garner more votes in the upcoming elections.
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