Rahul, Priyanka give 'hindutva' push ahead of last phase of UP polls

A video of the duo performing the puja went viral on social media

In an apparent 'hindutva' push ahead of the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in the eastern region, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday paid obeisance at the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rahul and Priyanka performed 'puja' at the Temple in accordance with the religious traditions. A video of the duo performing the puja also went viral on social media.

Sporting 'tripunda' (tilaka on the forehead), Rahul and Priyanka walked all the way to the Temple from its entrance amid shouts of slogans by hundreds of Congress supporters.

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The visit to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple assumes significance as it comes two days before polling in nine districts of Poorvanchal, including Varanasi, on Monday and is being viewed in the political circles as an attempt to counter the BJP's charge that the grand old party indulged in appeasement of the Muslims.

''Almost all the nine districts where polling is scheduled to be held on Monday, are very close to Varanasi...a large number of people from these districts visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple regularly,'' said a Varanasi-based political analyst while speaking to DH.

Priyanka, who was also the in-charge of the state party unit, had earlier taken a dip in the holy waters at the holy 'Sangam' (the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers) on the occasion of 'Mauni Amavasya' (a scared day on which millions take dip in holy rivers across India) at Prayagraj, and had also visited the famous 'Mankameshwar Temple'.

Earlier, the Congress leader had paid obeisance at the famous Shakambhari Devi Temple near Saharanpur.

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