The Congress on Monday clarified that Rahul Gandhi had gone abroad to see his grandmother as the Bharatiya Janata Party raised questions about his decision to fly out of the country on the eve of the party’s 136th Foundation Day, ANI reported.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal accused the BJP of indulging in low-level politics. “Rahul Gandhi has gone to see his grandmother,” he said. “Is it wrong? Everybody has the right to undertake personal visits. They [the BJP] are targeting Rahul Gandhi because they want to target only one leader.” Venugopal’s colleague Randeep Surjewala said that Rahul Gandhi was on a short trip and will be back in India soon.
The Congress held an event to mark its foundation day on Monday morning. Senior Congress leader AK Antony hoisted the party’s flag at its headquarters in Delhi. Congress President Sonia Gandhi also did not attend the celebration, NDTV reported. At the event, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra avoided answering media queries about her brother’s trip.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, meanwhile, mocked Rahul Gandhi in a tweet. “The Congress is celebrating its Foundation Day here and Rahul Gandhi has disappeared,” he said. The BJP had repeatedly criticised Rahul Gandhi for his foreign trips.
Unidentified officials had told PTI on Sunday that Rahul Gandhi left for Milan on a Qatar Airways flight that morning. His mother’s family lives in Italy.
Last week, the Congress leaders met at Sonia Gandhi’s residence to discuss the revival of the party, the upcoming Assembly elections in several states, and the farmers’ protest. Twenty-three Congress “dissenters”, who had called for a complete revamp of the party’s organisation in August, were also part of the meeting.
Rahul Gandhi had said at the meeting that he was “ready to work for the party as all desired” at a meeting with Congress “dissenters”. The statement rekindled speculation about the 50-year-old returning at the helm of affairs, as the party prepares to conduct internal elections so that a full-time president can take over from interim chief Sonia Gandhi.
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