The Congress has said that opposition and the government were not expecting this type of agitation from the Congress and now the party is the main opposition party in UP which is raising the public issues.
Congress leader Jitin Prasada, who was detained by the police during the agitation said, "where is the opposition, we are the opposition in the state, and we are raising the issue of public issues on a daily basis."
After the death of Unnao rape survivor on Saturday, it was congress leader Priyanka Gandhi who led the agitation against the State Government leaving other opposition parties off-guard with Former chief ministers of the state Akhilesh Yadav sitting on Dharna and Mayawati meeting the Governor on the issue.
By the time Priyanka Gandhi reached the victim's family, the rattled opposition had to think of a different strategy. The Congress general secretary cancelled all her engagements, sources said that even Congress leaders were instructed to take a protest march and hold sit-in protests to make a point. Senior leaders like Jitin Prasada and P.L. Punia were detained and the workers were lathi-charged. This was happening when the visiting ministers of the state government were stopped by the congress workers in Unnao.
The optics showed by the Congress leader is second to the Sonbhadra agitation where she took the state government by surprise and the opposition was also flabbergasted by the moves of Priyanka Gandhi.
Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi said, "every opposition party has the right to raise the genuine concern of the citizens but Priyanka Gandhi knows the problem which the women are going through. As far as the opposition is concerned, whoever works will get the attention of the Public and Priyanka Gandhi is doing the same thing."
The party is learning to fight on the streets after a long time, said a leader. The Congress is in opposition since 1989 barring few occasions when it had supported Samajwadi Party in government.
( With inputs from IANS )