NAME'S VADRA, PRIYANKA VADRA

Her brother may not tire of leaning on his family name, but as for Priyanka Gandhi, she would rather be known by her husband's surname. "Introduce me as Priyanka Vadra and not Priyanka Gandhi," she said to a group of villagers and reporters on an electioneering tour in Amethi, which along with the Rae Bareli constituency is firmly connected to the Gandhi name. Priyanka, who is married to Robert Vadra, a businessman, has been as much of a flag-bearer of the family name as her brother. So, it wasn't clear why she suddenly chose to make a break, but her statement came at a time when Rahul Gandhi raised eyebrows within his party for claiming his family's historic role in dividing Pakistan and was being criticised by the opposition for pushing to further entrench the dynastic culture in Congress. While Priyanka may want to divert attention from her Gandhi lineage, she said she loved Amethi because of her family association. "I used to visit this place as a child. Today I have come here with my children," she told a gathering at Dih village. She said she was proud of her long association with the constituency of her father and now her brother. Her assertion that she should not be called by her maiden name evoked mixed response. "A good leader has to be a good wife too, she has all the qualities of a leader," said Hukum Bi, a Congress supporter. Vinod Singh, a college lecturer, found no logic in Priyanka's statement, saying she was known in public only as Rajiv Gandhi's daughter. "Otherwise, she is just the wife of a businessman."