Lucknow: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday visited Lakhimpur Kheri district where she met Samajwadi Party worker Anita Yadav who was manhandled allegedly by BJP workers.


In a video circulated widely on social media, it was seen that some men misbehaved and pulled the SP worker's saree when she went to file nominations for block panchayat polls held earlier this month.


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Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived in Lucknow on Friday afternoon wherein she began her visit by staging a silent protest before a Mahatma Gandhi statue against the BJP government in the state.


The protest was staged against increasing crime against women in Uttar Pradesh.


Talking about the recently held Panchayat elections, she said: "The Yogi Adityanath government held panchayat elections during the pandemic after which several teachers, who were on poll duty, succumbed to COVID. The BJP did not get the desired results so it resorted to violence, threats, intimidation and even kidnapping in the second and third phase of the polls".


"Women were threatened, their clothes were ripped off and the candidates' nomination papers were torn. Is this democracy," she asked speaking about the incident with the Samajwadi Party worker.


Talking about it today, Priyanka said: "No matter which party we belong to, we are women, such a thing should never happen with any woman".


After meeting SP worker Anita Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi will meet the block Congress presidents of Amethi and Rae Bareli and hold a meeting with the office-bearers of the 'Berozgar Manch'.


She will also chair a meeting with former MPs, ex-MLAs, former district and city presidents and former heads of frontal organisations and departments and members of Zila panchayats and blockheads. She is scheduled to return to Delhi Saturday evening.


Priyanka Gandhi has visited Uttar Pradesh to oversee the Congress party's preparations for the Assembly election to be held early next year. She has an uphill task of reviving the party's strength in the politically crucial state where the BJP saw a decisive victory in the 2017 election.


(With Agency Inputs)