'Considerate' Sonia gives Kumbh a miss

NEW DELHI: At the outset of her political innings, she waded into the water at the confluence of rivers in Allahabad after performing puja and took a dip in January, 2001. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has since been sensitive to the importance of such rituals and conventions in the political sphere. This year, she was invited by the “residents of Haridwar, sadhus and holy men” to attend the ongoing Kumbh. She agreed to visit the hallowed site but finally backed out.

“I was personally very keen to come but had to change my mind thinking that my visit would cause inconvenience to others,” Sonia said in a statement on Sunday.

According to sources, she had at the back of her mind the recent stampedes at several religious functions around the country. Keeping that prospect in view, she was advised to stay away from Kumbh, they said.

“It was a wise decision; when such a huge gathering takes place it is better for VVIPs to keep away from the event,” Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said.

However, while regretting her inability to visit Haridwar, Sonia acknowledged the high position of Kumbh in the Indian spiritual tradition. “Society has reposed deep faith in Kumbh over the centuries,” she said. She pointed out that “in a land of devotion like India, faith and trust instil a deep sense of commitment and dedication to the best human values”.

Sonia said she was confident that “in keeping with the lofty thoughts of the ancient sages, ascetics and philosophers, our perspective will constantly inspire society towards the high ideals of justice and tolerance”.

Her attestations of faith and spiritual values have not come as a surprise. She has visited temples and called on religious personalities many times during the course of her political journey. But as at Prayag on that cold January day, her religious ardour has often acquired a political subtext. Challenged by her opponents on the ground of her ‘foreign origin’ and just before the Uttar Pradesh elections, she sought wider acceptability of her leadership by taking the dip in 2001.

Her partymen claim that Sonia has always been impressed by the Indian ethos.