Rahul returned to Delhi via a Thai Airways flight. The Sunday Guardian reports that Rahul was holidaying in Italy with his childhood friend Samir Sharma, the son of family friend Satish Sharma.

These sources also claim that he left New Delhi abruptly after differences of opinion with his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka.

His sister had apparently told him to take a back seat for some time and let their mother lead the party.

At that, Rahul Gandhi is said to have pointed out, in that case he should not have been called from abroad to lead the party. That same night he left for Bangkok.

After a few days, he went to London and then joined Samir Sharma in Italy.

While in Italy, he spent one week with his maternal aunt, one week in Milan and one week at a fancy hotel on Lake Como.

His family managed to mollify him only after making some of his candidates Pradesh Congress Committee presidents.