Rahul plans Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage after mid-air scare

After surviving a mid-air scare over Hubbali, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday announced plans for undertaking an arduous pilgrimage to Kailash-Mansarovar after the Karnataka assembly elections.

Gandhi recalled the chilling experience over Hubbali skies on Thursday and said that the incident set him to think on the pilgrimage to Kailash-Mansarovar.

“Two-three days ago, when I was going to Karnataka, the plane dived 8000 feet, and I thought everything is over,” he said in first public remarks on the incident that prompted the Congress to scream sabotage.

“The moment I thought that it was all over, it struck my mind that I have to go to Kailash Mansarovar,” Gandhi said seeking permission from party workers to remain away for 10-15 days after the Karnataka assembly polls.

“I would require your leave of 10-15 days after the Karnataka Assembly polls,” he told the gathering at Ramlila Maidan.

Under Gandhi's leadership, the Congress is making all-out efforts to shed the pro-Muslim tag it had earned during the UPA years.

During the Gujarat election campaign in December last year, Gandhi had declared himself to be an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and also visited numerous temples across the state, including the much-revered shrine at Somnath.

The Congress President has continued his temple run in Karnataka and also added mutts of different sects to his campaign itinerary in a bid to reach out to voters.

In 2015, Gandhi had also trekked to the Kedarnath shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand.