Lucknow, Feb 14: Desperately looking to revive itself in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the Congress plans to capitalise on the farmer agitation and pursue 'soft Hindutva' in the state, where assembly election is barely a year away.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was also the in-charge of the state, made the party's revival strategy quite clear by her temple hopping and addressing 'kisan mahapanchayat' last week.
Priyanka took a dip in the holy waters at the holy 'Sangam' (the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers) on the occasion of 'Mauni Amavasya' (a sacred day on which millions take a dip in holy rivers across India) at Prayagraj, on Thursday and also visited the famous 'Mankameshwar Temple'.
She also met Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopananda Saraswati.
A day before, the Congress leader had paid obeisance at the famous Shakambhari Devi Temple near Saharanpur, about 500 kilometres from Lucknow.
Priyanka also addressed a well attended 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' at Saharanpur, where she attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the farm laws and vowed to support the agitating farmers.
Apparently mindful of her party's Muslim support base, the Congress leader also visited the 'Khanqah dargah' at Saharanpur, which was revered by the community.
Although the BJP leaders sought to make light of Priyanka's temple visits and 'kisan mahapanchayat', political observers here point out that the strategy may pay rich electoral dividends if it succeeds.
''Congress' electoral success will depend on the support it gets not only from the Muslims but also the Hindu community....the party can hope for a revival if it is able to capitalise on the farmer agitation and send across the message that it is not an anti-Hindu party,'' said a Lucknow based political observer.
The grand old party has plans to hold a series of 'kisan mahapanchayats' in the western UP districts in the days to come. Priyanka is scheduled to address one such meeting at Bijnore on Monday.
Congress could win only one seat and that of Raebareli in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It could manage to win only seven seats in the 2017 assembly polls.
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