Sonia Gandhi to hold roadshow in Varanasi

This is Sonia’s first visit to Varanasi after Modi became prime minister. She is expected to fly back to New Delhi. “Very soon I shall come back and seek the blessings of the Lord and the people of this holy town of Varanasi”, she said, adding that she was grateful to everyone for the energetic and warm reception during the day.

Her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Congress chief was already indisposed when she left for Varanasi on Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to send out a tweet wishing the Congress president good health.

The hiccup towards the end notwithstanding, Congress leaders can take heart from the enthusiastic crowd that turned up – thousands of people lined up on the road, surprising even the party’s leaders.

After provided with medical help in Varanasi, Gandhi returned back to Delhi by a chartered flight close to midnight only to be taken to Army’s Research and Referral Hospital.

A party official says Sonia Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, has cut short a political rally in northern India due to a high fever. She removed her footwear before she went up to offer floral tributes at the Ambedkar statue – an act reserved usually for deities. During the roadshow, Gandhi felt exhausted and was told by doctors not to continue with her programme, he said. Led by president Sonia Gandhi, the party electrified the streets of the temple city with an impressive, and by most accounts, unprecedented road show.

The Congress has launched a campaign, “Dard-e-Banaras” to highlight lack of development in Varanasi, which Mr. Modi had won in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Apart from Dikshit, Babbar, and other senior state and national leaders, Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge and leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, will also be present in the roadshow on Tuesday. This is also seen as an attempt to target BJP’s face in UP elections as the party has not yet declared any chief ministerial candidate.

“The people of UP have always shown miracles”.