Who's 'priya', who's not

Girija Vyas seemed unconvinced when she was said Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi liked her

On the Congress website, its “Vichar Vibhag”, or intellectual cell, is headed by “chairman” Girija Vyas. On Thursday, 71-year-old Vyas, a former Union minister, chaired a seminar on the impact of demonetisation. The speakers were party leaders Anand Sharma and Randeep Singh Surjewala. It was attended by students and lecturers from several colleges and universities in Delhi. The old versus new guard struggle was evident at the seminar. As Vyas introduced the subject, Sharma, who sat on her right on the dais, appeared to be grimacing and shaking his head. She said the international price of crude was Rs 56 a litre; Sharma pointed out that it was $56 a barrel. Vyas also said the government breached its fiscal deficit target and it was at a low. Eventually, Vyas introduced 64-year-old Sharma and 50-year-old Surjewala as leaders who are “priya”, or liked by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. “Aap bhi unki priya hain (you are also liked by them),” Sharma said. Vyas seemed unconvinced.