The Congress party, which has been out of Gujarat for more than two decades, has now started working towards assimilating “soft” Hindutva into the party’s agenda. In order to make the Congress agenda more effective, Vice President Rahul Gandhi is coming to Saurashtra on his 3-day visit from September 25. Rahul will start this journey with Dwarka, after which he will go to Jamnagar. On the second day of the tour, Rahul will visit Rajkot and its surrounding areas. During this tour, Rahul will be involved in Garba festival. He will also be seen in Koli Mandir in Churila.
It’s ironic that he once said – Those who go to temples molest women.
Congress party believes that Rahul’s presence in Hindu Festivals and Temples will help in connecting the Hindu voters in the coming assembly elections to the party.
Rahul is going to visit a number of temples, something he hasn’t done before. Rahul has taken this decision after he recieved feedback received from local leaders. Just to balance out things and in the event of extended travel time, Rahul can also go to some mosques.
While talking about Rahul’s visit, Congress’s Saurashtra’s in-charge Arjun Modhwadia refused to link his travel to any religious angle. He said that Rahul is a senior leader and he is going to visit the whole state for campaigning. Modhwadia said that during the campaigning, Rahul will also address several rallies where he will talk to party workers and increase his morale.
But this is not the first time that Rahul is going to a temple during his election trip. Prior to this, in 2009, Rahul also appeared in the Ambaji temple. In 2016, Rahul Gandhi visited Umiya Mata temple in Unjha ahead of a rally. Apart from this, during his last visit, Rahul had also appeared in an Adivasi temple in Daydiapada. Modhwadia said that Saurashtra’s Patidar community is very dissatisfied and people want to vote for the Congress. As the people of Patel community play a decisive role in many areas in this area, the Congress is focusing more on these areas.
Political analyst Political analyst Ghanshyam Shah acknowledged the symbolism of these political visits and called it unfortunate, he said that you cannot just fight the BJP by provoking religious sentiments. The Congress adopted such a policy even during the 80’s. Shah said that the credibility of Rahul Gandhi in the country is a big question and the Congress will have to understand what is the situation of the party today.
