Building up on the momentum gained during Congress president Rahul Gandhi ’s visits to over 20 temples during the Gujarat polls, the state unit of the party is planning to revive local Ram temples by forming “Sriram Suryodhay-Sandhye Aarti Committees” in 148 villages across Saurashtra Mooted by Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani , the party will distribute puja items to volunteers who agree to perform aartis 14 times a week, in temples that have been neglected or not much frequented by devotees.“A kit of “shankh, jhalar and nagadas (conch shells, decorations and drums) will be given to temples which the committees will revive in “spirit and tradition,” said Dhanani.“There is a Ramji Chauraha in all villages but how many of us even go to temples. If there is increased engagement among villages at a peaceful place like a temple, there will be less of unrest and depression among villagers.” Dhanani said the party has already sourced the shankh from Somnath, drums from Jasdan near Rajkot and decorations from Bhavnagar and they will soon be given to the new committees. The proposal will soon be cleared by Dhamani who says he has also discussed it with Rahul Gandhi.“Gujarat has been a laboratory of the RSS but people have started asking questions as to what the party that calls itself a Hindu party done to preserve and promote our traditions. Ayodhya is far away, we want to start with neighbourhood temples. It is a social movement to get the youth involved in matters of the village,” Dhanani said.The party sources say this is a well-calculated move to counter the BJP’s projection of the Congress as anti-Hindu before 2019 elections.The BJP has already started working on the seats it lost. In Saurashtra, where BJP lost 12 seats, the administration is revisiting its agricultural policy that led to discontent among farmers, Congress, sources said, is banking on Paresh Dhanani, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani to put pressure on the government in the assembly, and Hardik Patel mobilising people outside it.There are no plans as of now for Hardik to enter the Congress officially as many feel he will do better mobilising people by being outside the system and also indulge in fund raising. “It works for both him and the Congress to have him outside the system. When you are not connected to power, people trust you easily,” a Congress leader said.Hardik told ET on Monday that he will start and a two year long padhyatra starting end of the year where he will visit different villages on foot, picking up various issues from farmer distress to problems of students.“I am anti- BJP but it is not true that I am a companion of the Congress. That association during election was only to counter BJP,” Hardik Patel said, adding that he has no plans as of now to join the Congress. His padhyatra he said will focus on schools and colleges making education unaffordable for youth. Hardik welcomed the decision of the party to make patidar leader Paresh dhanani as the leader of opposition, saying “he being a farmer’s son can understand how to set things right in Gujarat.”