Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi may return to country soon from his sabbatical and lead a rally being planned by his party against NDA government’s Land Acquisition Bill in the national capital on April 19, as per reports on Monday.
Rahul has been on ‘leave of absence’ since February 22, apparently to ‘introspect’ things and did not attend the Budget Session.
Despite media bombarding them with questions, Congress spokespersons have refused to reveal whether the Congress VP is in India or travelling abroad.
In Rahul’s absence, Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has spearheaded the campaign against the contentious Land Bill.
She also led an Opposition march in Delhi earlier this month to the President’s house and submitted a memorandum against the bill, calling it anti-farmer.
Sonia has also been travelling to states affected by unseasonal rains like Haryana and Rajasthan and talked to farmers.
Recently the Congress president had visited her son’s Lok Sabha constituency Amethi and assured people there that Rahul would be back soon.
On March 28, she had told reporters, “When Rahul comes back, he will come back soon, then he will also come (here),” adding, “I think I am here on behalf of Rahul and Priyanka, and my family,” as per PTI.
She, however, did not specify the exact timing of Rahul’s return.
Meanwhile, criticism has mounted on Rahul for being absent when the Parliament was in session, with the BJP taking a dig at him at regular intervals.
After his return, Rahul is expected to take a call on when to assume the party’s mantle, notwithstanding the fact that the schedule for organisational elections including for the President’s post is out.
Earlier this week, posters had emerged in Amethi declaring that the local MP (Rahul Gandhi) was “missing”.
Pasted at markets, railway and bus stations, the posters titled “Missing Amethi MP” asked people to launch a manhunt to find the “missing” leader.
