Not received any request for Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Kailash Mansarovar: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday it has not received any “formal request” for Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Kailash Mansarovar in China’s Tibetan region.

“We have not received any formal request for his visit to the Tibetan Autonomous region in China,” MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Last week, the Congress had said that Gandhi was yet to receive a response from the government to his request to undertake the Kailash Manasoravar Yatra.

Addressing a rally in Delhi on April 29, Gandhi had announced that he would go on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar after the May 12 assembly polls in Karnataka.

He had made the announcement three days after an aircraft in which he was travelling from Delhi to Karnataka developed technical snag.

Kumar said Gandhi can visit Kailash Mansarovar either through the MEA-organised route or through a private route.

He said the MEA has not received any communication for the second option as well.

Known for its religious values and cultural significance, Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, is undertaken by hundreds of people every year.