Lucknow, Feb 11 (IANS): Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will arrive in Prayagraj on Thursday on the occasion of auspicious day of Mauni Amavasya.

She is expected to visit Sangam and possibly take a holy dip.

Priyanka's visit to the ongoing Magh Mela is yet another step of the Congress towards soft-Hindutva.

On Wednesday, Priyanka had offered prayers at the famous Shakumbhari temple in Saharanpur before she addressed the Kisan Panchayat.

Her two-hour visit to Prayagraj on Thursday afternoon is said to be 'private'.

"She has no political engagements in Prayagraj and it is a private visit," said a party functionary.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the district administration said that the Congress leader's visit to the Magh Mela was 'ill-timed'.

"She is coming on 'Mauni Amavasya' when lakhs of devotees are already here. It would have been advisable to avoid VIP visits on such occasions," said a district official.

Meanwhile, murmurs of dissent over Priyanka peddling soft-Hindutva with her religious visits, are now getting louder within Congress.

A senior party leader said, "The Congress has always avoided making religious trips in full public view. Late Indira Gandhi would visit temples and religious leaders but her visits were never publicized. There has already been a controversy over Rahul Gandhi's visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in 2017."

Another leader, belonging to the Muslim community, said that at a time when Muslims are veering towards the Congress, such religious trips would prove detrimental to party interests.

"Our leaders should avoid such visits -- whether it is a temple or a dargah. We are falling into the BJP trap and it would be better to focus on issues that are real, instead of following the BJP path," he said.