Congress president Rahul Gandhi undertook the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage with an eye on upcoming elections, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani alleged here Tuesday.
Addressing a gathering of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers in Ahmedabad, the chief minister said Gandhi's pilgrimage was part of the Congress' strategy to attract voters.
"There can never be a comparison between Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People saw Gandhi winking and hugging (the PM) in (Lok Sabha)," the CM said.
The Congress president, who had last year publicly proclaimed himself as a "Shivbhakt" (a devotee of Lord Shiva) during campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls, completed his Mansarovar Yatra recently.
"He (Rahul) flaunts his 'janeu' (sacred thread worn by Brahmins) and visits (Mount) Kailash. People are watching this. The Congress' policy revolves only around garnering votes for elections," the CM said.
Rupani appealed to the BJYM workers to pull up their socks and start preparations for the 2019 polls.
More From This Section
"Reach out to the common people during the next six months. I am confident that the BJP will improve its tally of 2014 in 2019," he said.
Mansarovar is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
The pilgrimage is known for its spiritual significance. Besides Hidus, people from Jainism and Buddhism also embark on the annual yatra.
The pilgrimage is organised during June-September every year from two different routes in Uttarakhand and Sikkim.