Congress Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to Golden Temple in the holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. After performing prayers at the temple, Rahul Gandhi participated in the ‘kar sewa’. The Congress leader was seen washing dishes with other members of his party and members of the party’s team accompanying them to the temple. A Congress functionary said Rahul Gandhi will stay overnight in the holy state.
This is his personal and spiritual visit, so please respect his privacy. I request all party workers to abstain from attending this visit. You can support him spiritually and meet him next time, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Rai Waring said on Twitter earlier today.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Amritsar comes at a time when tensions between Congress and AAP are high following the arrest of Congress MLAD Sukhpal Singh Khaira by the Punjab police. Khaira has been accused of being involved in drug trafficking and money laundering by the police. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused AAP leader Bhagwant Mann and the Chief Minister of Punjab of being “hungry for blood”. Gandhi said, “It won’t surprise me if he gets me killed as well,” he added.
The AAP government claimed that “new evidence” from a 2015 case led to the arrest of Khaira. While the AAP government and the Congress national leadership are likely to back the INDIA block, the arrest of Khaira has opened regional rivalries, which could make it challenging for the two parties to cooperate.