Varanasi: Congress workers in Kashi are gearing up to accord a colourful and festive welcome to Gandhi scion and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as she arrives in the land of Lord Shiva on her first election campaign after entering active politics.The partymen plan to celebrate Holi with Priyanka as she launches her poll campaign in Kashi a day before Holika dahan. Congressmen have started stocking herbal gulal and rose petals to greet her.Obviously, there will be a splash of political colours too as Priyanka will target Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his turf, particularly over Ganga pollution and Kashi Vishwanath corridor.Traditionally, Holi begins in Kashi from Rangbhari Ekadashi, four days before Holi, when devotees play Holi with the presiding deity of the city. But, this time it will be a special Holi celebration for Congressmen who plan to shower herbal gulal and rose petals on Priyanka. They have also organised a Holi Milan programme to celebrate the festival of colours with her.“It will be purely herbal Holi for Priyanka ji. We have arranged herbal gulal as well as rose petals to welcome her in Kashi,” said Congress spokesperson Shailendra Singh.“Congress workers are in high spirits. More than a tonne of petals have been arranged for the occasion. The Holi Milan programme would be held at some spacious location,” he added.“We have identified a venue in Piplani Katra area that can accommodate sufficient number of people in Holi Milan. All necessary arrangements have been made, and Congressmen are eagerly waiting to welcome Priyanka ji whose visit would energize the Congress cadre in the region,” said former MLA Ajay Rai, who had unsuccessfully contested against Modi in 2014 from Varanasi. .“During her Ganga yatra, she will see the pollution in the holy river, which disproves the tall claims of the PM. Priyanka ji will go to offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath and will be shown the destruction of Kashi’s heritage and identity in the name of Kashi Vishwanath corridor project,” he added.Congress district president Prajanath Sharma said that Priyanka would travel by road from Mirzapur to Shool Tankeshwar temple in Varanasi from where she would take reach Ramnagar via boat. She will visit the ancestral house of Lal Bahadur Shastri at Ram Nagar and would meet members of Nishad coomunity before heading to Dashashwamedh Ghat by boat.

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