Twitterverse divided on Priyanka Gandhi's resemblance to Indira

As Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday launched her roadshow in the company of brother Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh, a BJP bastion, she was constantly compared with late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to whom she bears a striking resemblance.

Dressed in a light coloured kurta and churidar with a white dupatta around her neck, Priyanka looked every bit a politician who meant business. However she smiled her dimpled bright smile, grinned, waved and even stopped many times to shake hands with several from the cheering crowd.

Congress party workers, who were present in the roadshow, made sure to point out the similarity with Indira Gandhi by chanting slogans like "Doosri Indira Gandhi hai" and flashing posters that read "We see Indira Gandhi in her."

While uncanny resemblance soon became a topic of discussion among political leaders, with some refusing to acknowledge it and others arguing that the similarity would not help her win.

It was not long before the discussion reached the social media and Twitterverse, picked up on the subject and opinions flew back and forth.

Recognize the similarity between the two politicians, a user wrote, "You know mam, my wife was telling me yesterday that you exactly look like Great Indira Gandhi ji. And let me tell me mam she hardly follows politics."

"Priyanka gandhi's entry was much awaited. We wanted to see her in active politics since long. And offcourse we see a glimpse of indira gandhi in her. Surely congress is reviving with such young leaders," another wrote.

There are some who believe that while she does resemble to Indira, it is not going to work in her favour when it comes to winning elections.

Arguing that she is trying to look like her grandmother by copying her, a user wrote, "She has copied hair style, dressing style and gestures of Indira Gandhi and media is thinking that Indira is back in that way Anupam Kher is MM Singh 2. Infact even if she looks like Indira than what should we do? What great Indira Gandhi did? Emergency," a user wrote.

"Hmmm. Showing Priyanka Gandhi as Indira Gandhi will not work for them. Instead it works against them. Because people are now aware of what Indira Gandhi did. Why she declared emergency, and how she took things for granted in politics," wrote a user.

Questioning Priyanka Gandhi's political identity, another user wrote, "Started to begging in the name of Indira, What is her identity? What did she do for the nation..?"

"Is looking like Indira Gandhi an achievement? No one should be credited just on the basis of genes," criticised another.

In the midst of constant criticism and backlash from many Twitter users, there were tweeters who showered Priyanks with blessings and support.

"All the best Priyanka Ganghi, Indians are finding Smt. Indira Gandhi in your Face, so to be very strong and bold," wrote a user.

Calling her 'daughter of India' another user wrote, "She is not only a splitting image of Indira Gandhi, she is a great granddaughter of Nehru Gandhi and daughter of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. She is a daughter of India."

While Priyanka's formal entry into politics has been a matter of speculation for several years, she was recently given the charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, a state which always plays a key role in the formation of the central government as 80 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats are at stake there.

She was formally ushered into the party fold on January 23 on "a mission" to transform its fortunes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due in a few months.