Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has yet again left India for a ‘short personal trip’, reportedly to Italy. As the Wayanad MP is not in India, his Punjab rally has been postponed. It is noteworthy that Gandhi’s trip to Italy has come at the time when all political parties are gearing up on campaigns and rallies for the upcoming Assembly elections in five states scheduled for early next year.
Rahul Gandhi is on a brief personal visit. BJP and its media friends should not spread rumors unnecessarily: Congress leader Randeep Surjewala to ANI on reports of Rahul Gandhi traveling abroad
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2021
(file photo) pic.twitter.com/qVYpnMnuEu
ANI quoted Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, saying, “Rahul Gandhi is on a brief personal visit. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its media friends should not spread rumours unnecessarily.” Gandhi was scheduled to kick start the campaign in Punjab with the party rally in district Moga on January 3. The rally would most likely get postponed. Reports suggest that Congress would not start its campaigning in Punjab before Gandhi’s return to India.
Gandhi’s previous trip was almost a month-long
Just before Diwali, Rahul Gandhi had vanished again, reportedly to London. On November 5, it was reported that Gandhi was on a ‘long vacation’. He returned after almost a month, just before the winter session commenced in the Parliament. At that time, BJP took a dig at Gandhi and questioned his trip to London.
Gandhi is often seen as a full-time traveller than a politician. In December 2020, he left for Italy on the 136th foundation day of his party. His party leaders could not settle on one explanation and further made themselves a target for opposition and media. In October 2019, fifteen days before the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, Gandhi had left, reportedly for Bangkok.
Interestingly, Gandhi also has a history of skipping important party events. In November 2019, Congress had planned as many as 35 press conferences across the country against union govt’s policies, but Gandhi, who allegedly gave directions for the press conferences, skipped them himself.
In May 2019, before the counting of votes of the parliamentary elections, Rahul Gandhi skipped an important meeting held by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in which they had planned to decide on a PM candidate and flew to London for a holiday. From missing out on budget sessions in 2018 to vanishing for trips to Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam in 2015, the Congress leader seems more interested in travelling than showing support to his party. Not to forget, he had a history of skipping SPG security for his abroad visits that led to revoking the security by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It is notable here that Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits are always shrouded in mystery. He never shares the news of travelling abroad in the media or never even shares pictures from his numerous foreign trips. While the party machinery is busy prepping him as the PM candidate and party president, his frequent ‘vanishing acts’ raise only suspicion and speculations on the minds of people.
