Dehradun: Rahul Gandhi, completed a trek to the famous Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand today and told reporters that he walked the 16-km trail because he hopes that others will follow, boosting tourism in the state which was ravaged by floods two years ago.
“I wanted to walk the distance as a tribute to the people who died in the tragedy in 2013,” said Mr Gandhi, dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans. He said he turned down the offer to use a government helicopter to fly to the temple, which opens today for pilgrims.
The 44-year-old Congress Vice-President recently returned to Parliament after a controversial leave of absence that lasted nearly two months. Since then, he has joined his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi on leading the Congress protests in and outside Parliament against the government’s land reforms, which opposition parties like his describe as “anti-farmer.”
