Rahul Gandhi visits Golden Temple; offers "sewa" in holy shrine [details]

Amidst the 'feud' with the ruling AAP in Punjab, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during his personal visit on Monday paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar and performed 'sewa' (voluntary service) in the holy shrine.

Donning a blue cloth headgear, Gandhi, after paying obeisance, visited the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, and performed 'sewa' by cleaning tea bowls along with other devotees.

He's also likely to attend the ritual of 'palki sewa' on Tuesday morning.

This is a private visit and not a political one, said Congress leaders.

The Golden Temple has been witnessing hundreds of devotees lined up since morning to offer prayers owing to the holiday to mark Gandhi Jayanti.

A day before Gandhi's visit to Golden Temple, former party's state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu batted for the INDIA bloc.

His assertion comes at a time when a majority of party leaders, comprising state chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Partap Singh Bajwa, have been opposing an alliance with the AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The arrest of party legislator Sukhpal Khaira in an NDPS case of 2015 has further escalated the feud between the AAP and the Congress.

In a post on X on Sunday, Sidhu said: "The I.N.D.I.A alliance stands like a tall mountain...a storm here and there will not affect its Grandeur!!! Any attempt to sabotage and breach this shield to safeguard our Democracy will prove futile.

"Punjab must understand that this is an election to choose India's Prime Minister and not Punjab's Chief Minister."

Asking party workers that this is Rahul's personal visit, Warring said "he is coming to Amritsar to pay obeisance at Sachkhand Shri Harmandir Sahib".

"This is his personal, spiritual visit, let's respect his privacy. Request all party workers to not be physically present for this visit. You all can show your support in spirit and meet him the next time," he wrote on X.

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said Gandhi's visit coincided with such a crucial time when "India also needs a blessing from the almighty".

"The country has been going through a very tumultuous period. The Congress always wishes for a better future for the country. Therefore, apart from making other efforts, it also seeks the kindness of God," Bajwa added.

(With inputs from IANS)