Last Updated:
It comes as a surprise that Rahul Gandhi gave the holy dip in the Ganga during the Kumbh Mela a miss. And this is the second one. No Congress leader attended the pran pratishtha of the Ram Mandir
Rahul Gandhi at the Trimbakeshwar temple in 2024. (Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra/X)
Rahul Gandhi and religion have a mercurial relationship.
In his first speech as the leader of the Opposition, he mentioned the Abhay mudra, holding a picture of Shiva. Just on the threshold of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress officially announced that he was a “janeu-dhaari Shiv bhakt”.
As per the internal Antony Committee, the drubbing of the Congress in two Lok Sabha polls was because of the perception that the Congress was a party of minority appeasement.
This is why, with a vengeance, the Gandhis, especially Rahul Gandhi, went on temple runs and declared himself to be a true Hindu unlike the “chunaavi” Hindu like Modi.
मध्य प्रदेश में आज राहुल गांधी ने देवी श्री लालबाई फूल बाई मंदिर में दर्शन कर आशीर्वाद प्राप्त किया और सभी देशवासियों के कल्याण और बेहतर भविष्य के लिए प्रार्थना की।#HaathBadlegaHalaat pic.twitter.com/EfqgsCWeIA— Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (@bharatjodo) May 6, 2024
Given this, it comes as a surprise that Gandhi gave the holy dip in the Ganga during the Kumbh Mela a miss. And this is the second one. None of the Congress leaders attended the the pran pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir too. In both cases, the Gandhis have dismissed it as a “photo-op and a government event”.
But has this dislike for the BJP and such events hurt the Congress and Gandhi’s Hindu image? Is it a political self-goal? Does Gandhi hate Modi more than he loves the Congress?
Sources say that Gandhi decided to stay away from Kumbh as it was made into a “government and photo-op event”. Gandhi has criticised the Yogi government for mismanagement of the Kumbh preparations – the fact that it was more for VIPs and photo ops. Post the stampede, both the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress made this an issue inside and outside Parliament.
महाकुंभ में आज पतित पावनी सलिला के पावन जल का आचमन और संगम तट पर त्रिवैणी घाट पर स्नान करने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ।जय गंगा मैया,हर-हर गंगे, हर-हर महादेव! pic.twitter.com/z7ZK0EN8Df
— Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) February 13, 2025
But the discomfort within the Congress is palpable. Like when the Congress president at a rally asked whether the Kumbh dip would solve problems of unemployment, many in the party felt this was an avoidable comment.
ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ವಿಫಲವಾಗಬಹುದು,ಆದರೆ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆಗೆ ಗೆಲುವು ನಿಶ್ಚಿತ!ತಿ.ನರಸೀಪುರದ ತ್ರಿವೇಣಿ ಸಂಗಮದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕುಂಭಮೇಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗಿಯಾಗಿ ಗಂಗಾ ಆರತಿ ನೆರವೇರಿಸಿ, ಭಗವಂತನಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸಿದೆ. ಪುಣ್ಯಸ್ನಾನ ಮಾಡಿ ಭಕ್ತಿ-ಭಾವಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಿಂದು ಭಾವಪರವಶನಾದೆ. pic.twitter.com/cWrSu5MZNc
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) February 12, 2025
So, many Congress leaders such as Sachin Pilot, DK Shivakumar went to take the holy dip in defiance and also to make a point.
अस तीरथपति देखि सुहावा।सुख सागर रघुवर सुख पावा।।आज परिवार के साथ महाकुंभ त्रिवेणी संगम में स्नान कर समस्त प्रदेशवासियों के जीवन में सुख, शांति और समृद्धि की प्रार्थना की।
त्रिवेणी सदियों से केवल एक जलधारा नहीं है। यह हमारी आस्था, परंपरा और… pic.twitter.com/BUBWZVesvY
— Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) February 25, 2025
Himachal CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, too, took the dip.
Gandhi’s questioning of Modi’s faith and religious trips have landed the Congress in trouble many times.
For a party which wants to make a base in Uttar Pradesh, questioning the Kumbh, Kashi and others will only end up hurting the Congress and Rahul Gandhi.
