Allahabad: Seeking to navigate the Congress towards regaining its lost political moorings in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday began her ‘Ganga Yatra’ on boat to reach out to voters urging them to bring “a government that works for them” and asserting that “my brother Rahul Gandhi does what he says”.
The 47-year-old Congress general secretary, clad in a green cotton saree and pink blouse, interacted with a cross section of people, including students, and invited some of them to join her on the motorboat as she undertook her much anticipated ride from the Manaiya Ghat in Kachnar tehsil of Prayagraj district.
Kicking off the Lok Sabha election campaign with her three-day visit to eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka will cover a distance of 100 km by boat in Ganga from Allahabad to Varanasi , the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and will also visit several temples while literally testing the political waters of UP where the Congress has been in wilderness for nearly three decades.
She started her river journey with a visit to the Sangam and performing puja along with party leaders at the Bade Hanuman Mandir, popular as ‘Letee Hanuman Ji’ near Prayagraj Sangam.
Priyanka was accompanied by party leaders including BJP turncoat Savitri Bai Phule and Congress MLA from Rampur Khas (Pratapgarh).
Sitting cross-legged on the motorboat, the Congress leader, who has been assigned the task of leading the campaign in the region where political opponents like the BJP and the BSP-SP have a strong footing, was all ears as the locals residing on the river bank apprised her of their issues.
Taking a halt at the Dumduma Ghat under the watchful eyes of SPG personnel escorting her, Priyanka in her brief address said that she had come here to listen to the people and learn about their problems rather than giving speeches.
She asked the people to “bring a government which works for you…my brother Rahul Gandhi does what he says… in MP, in ten days of Congress coming to power, farmers’ loans were waived…same in Rajasthan.”
“I want to urge you, my brothers and sisters, to vote wisely in these elections and form a Congress government so that your problems could be looked into…this area has specific problems,” she said, adding that she is aware that sand mining rights are not given to boatmen who are ‘Ganga putra’ and added that “Rahul has said that a separate ministry for them will be created”.
Taking another halt at the Sirsa Ghat, she said that the electorate has witnessed Congress governments during which schemes like MNREGS was launched and regretted that jobs have become scarce in the present times.
After a night halt in Sitamarhi in Bhadohi district, the Congress leader will resume her onward journey Tuesday morning that will culminate in Varanasi on Wednesday.
