New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday arrived at her son Rahul Gandhi’s residence amid reports that he has returned to Delhi ending his much talked about ‘sabbatical’.
As per media reports, Rahul landed at IGI Airport at around 11 pm last night.
A media report claimed that Rahul was in Vietnam – adding to earlier reports that suggested that Rahul was in Myanmar, Thailand, Europe, Bhutan, Uttarakhand among other places.
Missing from action for over a month, the 44-year-old Congress vice president has been on a leave of absence’ since the Budget Session of Parliament that began on February 23.
The party contended Gandhi’s absence premised on his need to chart out party’s future course in “isolation”, adding that Gandhi had requested for “some time to reflect on recent events and the future course for the party”.
While posters emerged in Amethi declaring that the local MP (Rahul Gandhi) was “missing”, Sonia Gandhi assured the constituents of her son’s return “very soon”.
Rahul’s return coincides with Congress’ planned mega farmers’ rally in the national capital on April 19. The rally is being seen as a sort of a comeback announcement of Rahul and a show of strength by the party, which has been strongly opposing changes in the original Act.
Congress is pulling out all the stops to make the rally a success, with the party launching an aggressive media campaign, besides booking a special train.
Congress is hoping to rally people from various parts of the country with the ‘Chalo Dilli Chale’ slogan which will be seen on hoardings and heard on FM radio channels, where it has booked spots.
The 17-coach ‘Kisan Express’ train carrying farmers will leave from Jaipur and arrive at Delhi after six stops on the rally day. Women too will join the rally.
As per reports, Rahul will be the only leader from the party to share space with Congress President Sonia Gandhi in hoardings for the Kisan-Khet Mazdoor rally, which will carry pictures from Rahul’s 2011 Bhatta Parsaul agitation as well Sonia’s recent visits farmers affected by unseasonal rains and hailstorm in various states.
The rally is important as it is being held on the eve of the second phase of the Budget session of Parliament at a time when almost the entire opposition led by Congress has joined ranks against the ordinance, which is being dubbed by them as “anti-farmer and pro-corporate”.
