There Is Give & Take Between Priyanka & Me: Rahul Gandhi in Odisha

“We both give each other space. There is a give and take between us,” Rahul Gandhi said.

A 2014 picture of Rahul Gandhi with sister Priyanka Gandhi. 

(Photo: Reuters)

Addressing a Town Hall in Odisha’s Bhubaneshwar, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 25 January, spoke extensively about his relationship with his sister and the party’s General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.

Ending years of speculation, Priyanka was appointed the party’s general secretary, in charge for eastern Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, 23 January.

Her appointment comes ahead of the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking about his sister’s formal debut into politics, Rahul said:

“This is not a decision taken in the last ten days but over the last few years. I have been having a discussion with her about joining politics. But her push back to me was that her children were young and she needed to look after them. Now, they have reached an age where... This was a discussion we have been having for a while now.”

Rahul Gandhi, Congress President

“We both give each other space. There is a give and take between us,” Gandhi added.

He indicated that they have the same wavelength when it comes to various topics.

”If we are sitting in different rooms and you ask us the same question, 80% of the time you will get the same answer,” Gandhi said.

He also pointed that they (the Gandhi siblings) have been through “hell of a lot” together.

“We have been through hell of a lot together. Everybody thinks you come from illustrious family and everything comes easy, but its actually not been that way. Been together for hard situations, that has brought us close together.”

Rahul Gandhi, Congress President