Rahul arrives in Ayodhya, first visit by a Gandhi since Babri demolition

September 09, 2016 10:13

Rahul Gandhi's convoy of cars, buses and open trucks rolled into the temple town of Ayodhya on Friday, the fourth day of the Congress vice-president's yatra or tour of Uttar Pradesh, where elections will be held early next year.

Gandhi's visit is being watched keenly. No member of the Congress's first family has visited Ayodhya since the demolition of the Babri Masjid 24 years ago, in December 1992.

In Ayodhya, Gandhi, 46, will first offer prayers at the famous Hanuman Garhi temple, but it is not clear yet whether he will visit the Ram temple at the disputed Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site, about a kilometre away.

The temple visit today is steeped in symbolism. Twenty-six years ago, Rahul Gandhi's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had planned to visit the Hanuman Garhi temple on a trip to Ayodhya, but could not because of a lack of time. He was assassinated the next year, on May 21, 1991. Rahul Gandhi was then 20.

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