Mystery of Rahul Gandhi's absence deepens as theories float around on his abode

DEHRADUN/DELHI: Where is Rahul Gandhi? Three days after he went on leave, the Congress heir apparent's seat of introspection continued to stoke speculation with 'WhereIsRahul' trending on Twitter on Wednesday.

Jagdish Sharma, a family acolyte known to be close to Gandhi family's son-in-law Robert Vadra, stirred a storm by saying that Rahul was camping in the serene mountains of Uttarakhand and not holidaying abroad, a claim that sent the hill state's police and local Congress unit into a tizzy over the presence of an SPG protectee without their knowledge.

Tweeting two photographs of camping tents and a stubble-sporting Rahul in a cap in the hills, Sharma told reporters, "Rahul is near Gangotri" and the "photographs, taken on Tuesday, were arranged through sources".

About the motive behind his tweets, Sharma said he was aghast at wild stories that Rahul was in Bangkok or such places.

A harried Congress refused to shed light on Rahul's location while spokesman P C Chacko announced that Sharma had "nothing to do with the party or the family". But the interest in Rahul whipped up a frenzy on social media. Many felt Sharma's claims reflected the party's anxiety that Rahul was seen as holidaying abroad during the Parliament session.

Rahul's leave even found an apparent mention in Lok Sabha when parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu taunted that Congressmen should "do introspection, if not here then in some far off place". The avoidable distraction continued to rile Congress. "Who is this Jagdish Sharma? I have never heard of him," asked an exasperated Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay, questioning the authenticity of the photographs. "Who has given him the permission to use these pictures and intrude into the personal lives of others? His claims are baseless," he said. There were claims that the pictures were from a trip undertaken in 2008.

As the debate over Rahul's location intensified with the passing minute, Sharma's claims threw the police intelligence and administration of Uttarkashi district into a tizzy. Braving the chill and heavy rains lashing the area, scores of policemen swung into action to collect information on the possible presence of the Gandhi scion in the district. "We checked out all our sources but nothing was found which could confirm Rahul's visit to the area," Uttarkashi SP Jagat Ram Joshi said.