One thing stood out in the speeches of Congress veterans Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Parliament during the ongoing special debate on the Constitution: the two’s focus on Uttar Pradesh issues.
After winning six seats in UP in the Lok Sabha polls six months ago, the Congress seems hopeful of riding the momentum in a state permanently on the slide.
Vadra, who started a special discussion from the opposition in the Lok Sabha, raised three incidents in UP to make his point about the “threat” to the constitution – the Unnao rape and murder 2017 case; A Dalit sanitation worker recently died in custody in Agra; and last month’s violence at a Mughal mosque in Sambhal.
She met the families of all those affected in the three incidents, Bhadra said. “In Unnao, I visited the home of a rape victim who was burnt alive. I met her father. His farm was set on fire. He was also beaten. He told me that his daughter wanted justice and that her police complaint had been dismissed and that she was fighting her battle alone. Courage to fight is what women got from our constitution,’ she said in the House.
In Sambhal, Vadra specifically mentioned the son of a Muslim barber who died in police firing, saying he could not fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor.
Constitution is the source of people’s courage in adversity Congress MP said.
In his speech, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi referred to the 2020 Hathras gang-rape case and said the accused in the case were roaming free and “threatening” the families of the Dalit victims. Where is it written in the constitution that the victim’s family is detained while the accused roams freely? He said, adding:
“I say in this House that we, the India Bloc, will abide by the Constitution and if you don’t, we will relocate that family.”
A few days ago, Rahul had visited Hathras and met the family, Congress sources said, after the family wrote him a letter “seeking justice”.
In his Lok Sabha speech, Rahul also spoke about the violence in Sambhal. “Five people were killed… Wherever you go, you incite one religion against another, spread hatred. Show me where incitement is written in the constitution.”
The UP BJP is discussing whether Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath may respond to the statements of the two Congress leaders during the ongoing winter session of the state assembly.
Though it may not amount to much, Congress leaders from UP will be happy to be part of the conversation. A leader pointed out that their main complaint with the central leadership is the middle-class involvement with the state, even though it is the most politically important in the country.
The Congress won a surprising six Lok Sabha seats this time – one of which was Amethi, from where Rahul won – largely in what was seen as an influence from its ally Samajwadi Party.
After leading the UP Congress in the 2022 assembly elections and suffering a humiliating defeat — the party won two seats out of a total of 403 in the state — Vadra has virtually abandoned the state. She has become an MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, while the Congress organization in UP has almost collapsed.
The UP incidents mentioned by Rahul and Vadra also have Dalits and Muslims at their heart – the communities behind the SP-Congress joint sweep of 43 seats in UP in the Lok Sabha elections. The BSP’s defeat in the state has boosted Congress’ hopes in terms of Dalit votes.
A senior UP Congress leader said: “The Gandhis seem to have realized that with state elections in UP due in 2027, the party needs to start work on building the organization in the state.”
Apart from the mention of Parliament, Rahul seems to be increasingly on the ground in UP as well. In July, he met the families of the Hathras stampede victims at a self-proclaimed godman gathering; A month later, he met the family of a Dalit man killed in Rae Bareli. In August again he attended the ‘Constitutional Conference’ at Prayagraj. And in November, he attended a meeting of the Central Government’s District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA). Last month, his attempt to visit Sambhal after the violence failed, but he later met some of those affected at home. Finally, last week, Rahul went to Hathras and met the families of the 2020 gang-rape-murder victims.
A senior Congress leader said the party would try to get OBC votes, add to its Dalit and Muslim support base, and the SP’s Yadav numbers. “If our alliance with the SP can continue till the 2027 state elections, the opposition faction will be in a better position to unseat the BJP in the state,” the leader said.
Despite this, Congress leaders insist they are prepared for other scenarios if the alliance fails – underscoring the tension between the two parties. “We are currently with the SP, but the Rashtriya Party cannot rely on its ally in a state like UP. Hence, the push from Rahul ji and Priyanka ji in the last few weeks,” said a Delhi-based Congress leader.
However, its survey data shows that there are no shortcuts for the Congress, which has been relegated to the fringes of UP politics since the rise and rise of the BJP in 2014. The Congress has also handed over seats to the opposition in the state. SP and Bahujan Samaj Party.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won only two of UP’s 80 seats – its strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli. In the 2017 state elections, when the Congress-SP alliance took place, the party won only 114 seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress hit a new low, losing only one seat (Rae Bareli) in UP, with Rahul losing to BJP’s Smriti Irani in Amethi.
Then came the 2022 state elections, when the Congress lost two seats despite a spirited campaign led by Vadra with a pitch of “ladki hun, lad shakti hun”.
In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, where its campaign was woven around the theme of “threat to the constitution”, the Congress won six seats in UP and polled 9.46% of the vote.
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