What Priyanka Gandhi's Lakhimpur Kheri campaign means for Congress

AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra managed to get where other opposition party leaders could not as they sought to make their presence felt in the aftermath of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. And having stolen a march over other leaders, Priyanka and her party are keen to make sure their first mover advantage is not lost in the political din over the death of farmers who were allegedly run over by the vehicle of a BJP minister as they protested against the three contentious farm laws.

Visuals of a gutsy Priyanka forcefully arguing with policemen who had stopped her enroute from Lucknow to Lakhimpur Kheri were widely circulated. She was seen demanding to know under what law she was being detained and rushing to the aid of her party colleague Deepender Singh Hooda after the police tried to bundle him into one of their vehicles. She was also seen asking the police officers why opposition leaders were not being allowed to go to the village where the incident happened.

These images were soon followed by a video of Priyanka sweeping the floor of the room at the PAC Guest House in Sitapur where she was kept under detention. Since then, the Congress leader has through video messages and TV bytes sought to focus on the BJP government's alleged apathetic attitude towards the farmers as also its act of placing her and other leaders under “illegal detention”.

If she managed to get closest to Lakhimpur Kheri among all the opposition leaders, she has also succeeded in being seen and heard, despite being under police detention, much more than the other leaders. And the Congress, desperate to make its presence felt in the state that goes to polls in a few months, has latched on to Priyanka's campaign. There is a long line-up of party leaders both within UP and outside who are attempting to reach Lakhimpur Kheri. This includes Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his deputy Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

Priyanka has got a chance to silence her critics who have been unimpressed with her handling of UP Congress, questioning why she has failed to spend more time in Lucknow, some even asking why she did not shift base to the state for greater impact and described her as a “political tourist”.

The Lakhimpur Kheri episode also provides the Gandhis with an opportunity to respond to their critics, especially the 'Group of 23' leaders, who have complained about the party lacking a visible leadership whose impact is felt on the ground. Gandhi loyalists now ask if the G23 leaders will join the party's protests in the state.