‘Don’t listen to our phone talks behind closed doors’

Priyanka Gandhi on Wednesday took on Narendra Modi by raking up the ‘snoopgate’ controversy surrounding him and said leaders who indulge in wrong acts against women should be ‘thrown out’.

Campaigning for her mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in this constituency of Uttar Pradesh, she also exhorted the electorate to reject divisive politics and those persons who believe in concentrating all powers with themselves.

Contending that the standards of election campaigning had deteriorated, she deplored personal attacks and said ‘this is not politics’.

She told a gathering of women to make political leaders answerable and ask, ‘If you are talking about empowering us (women), tell us how will you do that. If you are talking about empowering us (women), then do not listen to our phone conversations behind closed doors.’ 

Even though she did not name Modi, the reference was clearly to the Gujarat chief minister who has been surrounded by a controversy over snooping of a young woman in the state allegedly at his behest.

In a suggestive remark, Priyanka told the gathering, ‘You must be knowing (about the controversy). Isn’t it?’ 

She then went on to add, ‘If there are such political leaders who indulge in wrong acts against women, they should be thrown out of parties.’