Her previous trips to Amethi to play nursemaid to her mother's constituency have been low-key affairs. But her recent four-day visit revealed she has the potential to cause considerable upheavals in Uttar Pradesh politics. Her confrontation with Chief Minister Mayawati suggests that Priyanka's role is now on a higher plane.

PUBLIC CAUSE: Priyanka with village women in Amethi

She arrived in Amethi with her two children, Rehan and Mira, without any fanfare. To villagers who asked her why she had been absent for two years, she said, "Abto bachchon ko bhi dekhna padta hai (Now I have to look after the children too)." But her political roadshow turned stormy when Priyanka took up the cause of Ram Bhajan, a Dalit who alleged that an upper-caste family had demolished his house and usurped his land and the district administration had refused to register his complaint. She took Bhajan to the police station and lodged an fir. She also announced a "shramdaan" to rebuild his house. The uproar that resulted forced Mayawati, the Dalit icon, to intervene and say that Bhajan's claim was false. The district administration, however, declared that Bhajan would be rehabilitated.

This victory sparked speculation on whether Priyanka was intent on playing a larger political role. Though Priyanka was quick to reaffirm that she had no immediate plans to step into politics, her intervention in a Dalit cause has made her intentions clear. Now if brother Rahul makes a political debut soon, we could see a formidable Gandhi trio on the political stage in the near future.