Priyanka takes dip at Sangam

In keeping with her soft Hindutva demeanour, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday took a holy dip along with her son and daughter in Sangam (Prayagraj) on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya at the ongoing 57-day-long Magh Mela.

Accompanied by son Rehan and 18-year-old daughter Miraya, Priyanka landed at Bamrauli Airport in Prayagraj on Thursday morning and drove straight to her ancestral house Anand Bhawan.

She was welcomed by senior party leaders, including Pramod Tiwari, party MLA Aradhana Mishra and a large number of Congress workers.

She offered floral tributes to her grandfather Jawahar Lal Nehru and great grandfather Moti Lal Nehru at a memorial on the sprawling campus. Priyanka also spent some time with children of an orphanage, run by the Anand Bhawan Trust.

At Magh Mela ground, bereft of any VIP trappings, Priyanka walked bare foot with her children and hired a boat for Rs 2,000 to ride to the other bank of Sangam, where she took a holy dip with Rehan and Miraya and offered prayers.

Ignoring the advice of her security men, she took off the life jacket during the boat ride. She gave another scare when she breached the security to meet a few girls who were waving at her.

Priyanka made it a personal trip and refused to answer a volley of questions from media men who were waiting since afternoon. After the holy dip, she went to Mankameshwar temple at Sarsawati Ghat and offered prayers. They had lunch also at the temple.

Priyanka also called on Swami Swaroopanand ji Maharaj, head of Dwarka-Sharda Peeth, and was closeted with him for some time. The swami is known to be vocal against the BJP and the Sangh Parivar.

Her holy dip is seen as party's attempt to adopt a soft Hindutva line to revive Congress fortunes in the Hindi heartland, particularly Uttar Pradesh.