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In a move loaded with political significance, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has decided to make a trip to the Mahakumbh in Allahabad for a holy dip in the Sangam next week.
While party circles contend that the objective was purely spiritual, it has nonetheless set tongues wagging. Ms Gandhi’s plans to join millions of devotees in paying respects to the Sangam at the Mahakumbh - either on January 22 or 24 - have been immediately linked to the party’s repeated attempts to woo upper caste votes, especially the Brahmins in the state.
Though arrangements are already underway to facilitate Ms Gandhi’s visit to the Mahakumbh on January 22, it is understood that she is keen to be there on January 24, which is considered the most auspicious day. Called the ‘mauni amavasya’ or the ‘new moon of the saints’, more than 5 million devotees are expected to bathe in the Sangam on this day.
The immediate hurdle in Ms Gandhi’s
tryst with spirituality, however, is the Uttar Pradesh government, which
may put its foot down and say no on the ground that the security risks
were immense. Ms Gandhi enjoys the highest security cover and is a lifelong
SPG protectee. Unmindful of this aspect, however, the state Congress have
already begun making discreet preparations for Ms Gandhi’s visit to Kumbh
Nagar. The visit is being seen as an ideal strategy to send a powerful
signal at a juncture when the Congress has failed to make any political
impact in the state. With the BJP on the downslide, the party’s spin doctors
have been looking for an opportunity to get back in the political centrestage
in Uttar Pradesh.
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