Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Begins 2-Day UP Visit With Silent Protest

Targeting the BJP over the recently-held panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh that saw widespread violence and allegations of rigging, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra started her two-day visit to the state with a silent protest in front of a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Lucknow.

The party's Uttar Pradesh in-charge arrived at the Lucknow Airport in the afternoon to a huge reception by party workers and led a procession through the main roads of the state capital to the Hazratganj GPO Park Gandhi statue and garlanded it.

After that, she sat on a silent protest before the statue against the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state. She was joined by her party leaders including state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu.

"So many died of Covid. Yet you conducted the panchayat polls because you thought the results will be in your favour. But they weren't. So now you are terrorising candidates of block panchayat elections, tearing their nomination papers, scaring them," she said later.

Priyanka Gandhi's visit to the state comes as it prepares for the assembly elections early next year. She faces an uphill task of reviving the party in the politically crucial state where the Congress was wiped out in the 2017 polls, swept by the BJP.

Ashok Singh, the Convenor of Media and Communication Department of Uttar Pradesh Congress, said she will hold a meeting with the state executive, office-bearers and district and city unit presidents on Friday at the Congress officer.

After that, she will also meet with various farmer organisations.

Priyanka Gandhi will also meet the block Congress presidents of Amethi and Rae Bareli on Saturday, the second day of her tour, and hold a meeting with the office-bearers of the ''Berozgar Manch'', a body representing the unemployed.

She will also hold a meeting with former MPs, ex-MLAs, former district and city presidents and former heads of frontal organisations and departments and members of zila panchayats and block heads.

She is scheduled to return to Delhi Saturday evening, Mr Singh added.

(With inputs from PTI)