Rahul Gandhi, a member of parliament from Wayanad and a consistent candidate for prime minister of India in the Congress, will reside in containers for the duration of the 150-day ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as announced by the Congress party. Rahul Gandhi, a senior Congress leader constantly portrayed as ‘young’, would spend the next 150 days sleeping in a container while travelling 3,750 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in what can be called a Container yatra.
This move is being hailed as a masterstroke to counter the Modi wave in the general elections in 2024.
Luxury mattresses, bathrooms, air conditioning units, and other ‘basic facilities’ have been provided in every single container to facilitate the Congress leaders on the journey. About 60 such containers have been built and delivered to a village near Kanyakumari, where the journey is set to begin. As the Container Yatra of the Congress party is set to begin, here is a throwback to time when the Gandhi-Nehru Family used national assets as private property and venues for events and celebrations.
The special plane to airlift Nehru’s favourite ‘555’ brand cigarette
Once upon a time, the then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was slated to stay in Raj Bhavan on one of his visits to Bhopal. However, his staff discovered that his preferred brand of cigarettes was unavailable in Raj Bhavan. It was neither available in Bhopal, and Nehru enjoyed lighting a ‘555’ brand cigarette after his meals. Numerous pictures of him smoking show that our first Prime Minister had a fondness for the toxic cancer-causing pipe.
Consequently, something was done out of the way so that the PM could receive his favourite brand of smokes. According to the official website of Madhya Pradesh, his favourite smokes were flown from Indore! A person was there assigned the task of purchasing packs of ‘555’ brand cigarettes and bringing them to the Indore airport. An aircraft went from Bhopal to Indore to fetch the package, collect the cigarettes, and return to Bhopal.
Jawaharlal Nehru used Indian Navy assets to ‘pay respects’ to Edwina Mountbatten after her death
The former Prime Minister Nehru’s use of Navy ships and personnel for personal purposes is well documented, but there was one occasion that stood out from the usual vacations and picnics. There is no mystery about Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘closeness’ with Countess Edwina Mountbatten. Dailymail.co.uk described Mountbatten as a “man-eater” in a story on how she fell in love with Nehru and how her promiscuity affected her children.
Countess Mountbatten desired that her mortal remains be buried at sea, and when she died in 1960, her mortal remains were taken to Portsmouth. The casket was brought onboard HMS “Wakeful” by family mourners, including Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Andrew of Greece. Lady Mountbatten, on the other hand, received an unexpected homage.
When Edwina died in 1960 at the age of 59 and was buried at sea by Lord Mountbatten, Nehru dispatched the Indian Navy frigate INS Trishul as an escort and had flowers cast in her memory. The Indian frigate INS Trishul “quietly took its place and, on Panditji’s instructions, marigolds were scattered upon the waves,” said Lady Pamela Hicks, daughter of Lady Mountbatten, as her mourning family sailed away from the scene after laying wreaths at the location.
PM Rajiv Gandhi’s vacation on INS Viraat
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi used INS Viraat, India’s lone carrier at the time, for a family holiday in the Lakshwadeep archipelago in 1987. Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi’s mother, brother, and a maternal uncle were among those on the vacation. Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya Bachchan, and their two children were also there, as was the daughter of Amitabh’s brother Ajitabh, and former politician Arun Singh’s brother Bijendra Singh’s wife and daughter.
Bangaram, a small isolated island in the Lakshadweep archipelago, was the destination for the trip. The Gandhi family and their guests were transported on INS Viraat, the Indian navy’s lone carrier at the time, which travelled through the Arabian Sea for 10 days for this holiday.
A carrier does not cruise alone in the water; it is the nerve centre of a carrier combat group and is constantly flanked by multiple vessels. During the voyage, a submarine was also present, implying a significant investment in government coffers.
When Rahul Gandhi celebrated his birthday midair on an aeroplane
Rahul Gandhi had the unique experience of enjoying his birthday in the air as a youngster. Rahul Gandhi spent his birthday aboard an aircraft with Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and other family members in 1977.
Rahul Gandhi may be seen sheepishly smiling in a corner with his chin resting on his palm, with his sister Priyanka Gandhi seated next to him and a birthday cake in the centre of the table in an old monochrome photograph. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, and grandmother, Indira Gandhi, are also photographed inside the plane.
