NEW DELHI: Playing on Hindu symbolism that is now a pattern with him,
Congress president
Rahul Gandhi announced on Sunday that he will go on a pilgrimage to
Kailash Mansarovar after what he described as a close shave earlier this week during a particularly bumpy flight while electioneering.
He said he would go on the fortnight-long trek to the Shiva shrine after the elections in Karnataka which, he predicted, Congress would win.
Speaking at the 'Jan Aakrosh' rally, Rahul said, "Two-three days ago, we were going to Karnataka in a plane. The plane nosedived, falling 8,000 feet. I thought 'gaadi gayi' (it's over). Then as I thought 'gaadi gayi', it came to my mind that I want to visit Kailash Mansarovar. It was in my heart and I thought I will tell you."
Congress had filed a complaint with authorities in Karnataka that the plane's erratic flight despite good weather should be probed as mischief could not be ruled out. The civil aviation regulator is conducting a probe into the incident.
The rally at Ramlila Maidan had just begun to disperse after Rahul's 30-minute-long bitter attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the Congress chief returned to the mic to "seek permission of workers for a leave of 10-15 days".
The Gandhi scion's public embrace of the concept of 'mannat', a religious pledge against a wish, in the face of possible death, appeared designed to strengthen the party's connect with the majority community — another bid to undo the "pro-minority, anti-Hindu" tag that Congress alleges BJP has painted it with. Sonia Gandhi said it in as many words during a recent media event, saying BJP had projected Congress as a "pro-Muslim" party.
The announcement of a new pilgrimage follows Rahul's temple runs over the last three years. While it started with his trek to Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand in May 2015, it intensified during Gujarat elections in December 2017 and has continued into the ongoing Karnataka campaign where he has called on several mutts (seminaries).
In Gujarat, Rahul visited temples in towns and villages that he toured. But in Karnataka, his stops at shrines, especially Lingayat mutts, have evoked political comment in view of the Siddaramaiah government's Lingayat outreach in the form of recommending a 'religious minority status' for the community that is essentially a BJP support base.
Significantly, Rahul invoked religion to launch a strong assault on Modi — the running theme of his speech in front of party workers and senior leadership including Sonia and Manmohan Singh.
"India is a country of faith and faith stands on truth. To truth alone we bow our heads in temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras... Our PM gives speech after speech wherever he goes, but there is no truth in it," Rahul said.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi