No 'special application' from Rahul Gandhi for yatra

Even as news surfaced that Rahul Gandhi was awaiting 'special permission' for a pilgrimage to Kailash-Mansarovar that he had vowed to undertake on April 29 after a mishap involving his private aircraft near Mysuru, the Ministry of External Affairs denied that they had blocked any such permission to him. They added that not only was there no such request pending, but that he hadn't applied for it at all.

Interestingly, according to a MEA press release dated February 21, the last date for registration was March 23, while Gandhi — self-confessed Shiv bhakt — made the 'sankalp' (vow) on April 29 when campaigning for the Karnataka elections.

Party sources said that Gandhi could not apply during the stipulated period and had applied for special permission, normally granted to MPs, but had not received a response so far. Inquiries with MEA, though, revealed that Gandhi had not applied for inclusion in this year's pilgrimage.

Apart from the MEA-run pilgrimage, one can also undertake the journey through private operators. However, it is not clear if Gandhi opted for this. The pilgrimage began from June 8 and will end September 8.

"We have not received any formal request for his visit to the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China," spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He responded to comments by Congress leaders that they were awaiting special permission from the Ministry.