Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at Somnath temple in Gujarat ahead of review meeting with Congress leaders

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday visited the Somnath temple in Gir Somnath district, ahead of his meeting with party leaders to introspect on the Gujarat Assembly polls.

Gandhi is on a three-day visit to Gujarat. This is the Congress president’s first visit to Gujarat after the Assembly election results were announced.

The Congress leader landed at Keshod Airport in Saurashtra and offered prayers at the temple which is about 420 km from the state capital.

Gandhi is scheduled to hold zone-wise meets with Saurashtra, central Gujarat, south Gujarat and north Gujarat leaders in Ahmedabad on Saturday and is expected to address the Congress workers.

Gandhi had visited the Somnath temple during the recent election campaign and his name was found written on the entry register meant for non-Hindus, kicking up a row. The Congress had called it “fake” and the BJP insisted that the leader declare his religious faith before people.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi offered prayers at Gujarat's Somnath temple. pic.twitter.com/2SGfiZet5j

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Non-Hindus are allowed to visit the temple but have to first get themselves registered at the shrine’s office.

A purported photocopy of a page of the register for non-Hindus had gone viral on social media with the names of Gandhi and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel written on it.

Gandhi had later said that he and his family were devotees of Lord Shiva.

Indiscipline in the Congress was one of the key issues raised on Friday at the first CWC meeting Gandhi chaired after taking over as the party president, against the backdrop of Mani Shankar Aiyar’s “neech” remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Though no names were mentioned, some Congress Working Committee members raised the issue of leaders making “irrelevant” statements that hurt the party and adversely impacted its prospects in elections.

The issue cropped up at the meeting of the Congress’s highest decision-making body days after senior leader M Veerapa Moily said controversial statements by Aiyar and Kapil Sibal might have undone the gains made by Rahul Gandhi during campaigning in the Gujarat elections.

With inputs from PTI