Relegated to margins in UP, Congress works to sustain the momentum of Hathras protests

Villagers gathered outside as the Congress leaders entered the family's home. Some were seen on the rooftops nearby, waiting to catch a glimpse of the Congress leaders. (Image: Twitter/@INCIndia)

In a state where its influence has been relegated to the margins, Congress is now trying to maintain a sustained momentum to the protests against the alleged rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, with some party leaders of the opinion that the party's stance could revive its fortunes in the state, Hindustan Times has reported.

Senior Congress leaders, including Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, compared the visit by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Hathras to former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's visit to Belchi in Bihar in 1977. Indira Gandhi had reached Belchi, where 10 Dalits had been massacred, by train, jeep, tractor and elephant.

The Belchi visit, according to reports, helped Congress storm to power three years later in the 1980 Assembly elections. Similar to that, the Gandhi siblings, while on their way to Hathras, had been detained and reportedly manhandled, for which the UP Police had to apologise. 

The challenge, however, for the Grand Old Party now is to maintain the momentum it has managed to leverage until the Assembly elections in 2022. Party leaders have said that the incident has to be highlighted aggressively, particularly in the forthcoming elections in Bihar and other states, where by-polls are scheduled.

"The Hathras incident has shocked India. It has highlighted the state of affairs in UP. Such incidents take place almost every day in the state and law and order has completely collapsed. The BJP government wants to brazen it out but this will not be allowed," said senior Congress leader Jitin Prasada.

"Politics is one thing and the other is actually feeling for the aggrieved. We will be doing what an opposition party has to do but this incident is heart-breaking. We will not allow the BJP government to go unchecked in UP," he added.

While Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have traded charges, the two main regional parties of the state-- Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-- have not been as active, reports suggest. This, experts have said, might give a chance to Congress to bounce back.