New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS): Just reduced to one seat from the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is looking to gain ground in Uttar Pradesh with party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's campaigns for various sections seeking to change equations and make the party emerge as main challenger to the ruling BJP on the streets.
She is trying hard to make Congress a serious challenger to the BJP, by seeking to woo marginalised sections of society. Having raised the issue of farmers in western UP, she is now championing the cause of fishermen in eastern UP. Her target is a big chunk of the OBC Nishad community, which has stood by the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and is now with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Priyanka Gandhi had recently taken a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj on 'Mauni Amavasya' and had travelled in boatman Sujit Nishad's boat who informed her of the "atrocities" being committed on local boatmen.
She had assured that the Congress would fight legally for the rights of the boatmen and when the party comes to power, boatmen would be given land holdings.
After her Prayagraj visit, Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam said: "Only Congress understands the pain of poor."
Priyanka Gandhi has to start from scratch, be it the panchayat polls or the local body elections and the Assembly elections next year. The Congress leader is working hard to make inroads in the most populous state, which it has been out of power for three decades now.
The farmers' agitation has given a boost but sustaining it till elections is difficult task and countering the BJP's aggressive Hindutva is also a major challenge for the party.
But, Priyanka Gandhi is fighting on, and hitting out at the BJP.
In a speech on Saturday, she had said: "In our old stories, kings and queens became arrogant after they won power. After becoming Prime Minister twice, the PM is also showing arrogance."
"The Central government should respect the farmers. Why is Modiji not talking to the farmers who elected him as Prime Minister? Dialogue should be initiated with the farmers and their problems must be solved," she had said.