Rahul will be back among people very soon: Sonia Gandhi

AMETHI: Rahul Gandhi will be back "soon", Congress President Sonia Gandhi said here today while answering questions about her son's mysterious "leave" which has extended to over a month so far.

"When Rahul comes back, he will come back soon, then he will also come (here)," Sonia Gandhi said as she toured Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of her son. She, however, did not specify the exact timing of Rahul's return.

"I think I am here on behalf of Rahul and Priyanka, and my family," Sonia Gandhi said while responding to questions about Rahul's absence from public scene.

When a reporter pointed out that Amethi is Rahul's constituency, she shot back, "that doesn't matter. Amethi and Rae Bareli are both constituencies where I used to work here. I started here in the 1980s. So you know, I feel quite at home."

Gandhi spoke in Purey Devbadhi village here in Uttar Pradesh after meeting the family of farmer leader Mohammad Ayub who lost his life in the rail accident.

Party sources have earlier said that Rahul, who went on the sabbatical on February 22, is likely to return in April after which the issue of leadership is expected to gain momentum.

Leaders have all along maintained that Rahul will be back in the "proximate future" but have given no specific date.

After his return, Rahul is expected to take a call on when to assume the party's mantle, notwithstanding the fact that the schedule for organisational elections including for the President's post is out.

Earlier this week, posters had emerged in Amethi declaring that the local MP (Rahul Gandhi) was "missing".

Pasted at markets, railway and bus stations, the posters titled "Missing Amethi MP" asked people to launch a manhunt to find the "missing" leader.

Gandhi, who visited the constituency of her son here after touring her own Rae Bareli constituency, paid visit to the families of Bachrawan rail accident victims in Purey Kumharan, Brahmani, Sarai Mahesh villages.

The Congress chief, who also met farmers facing massive losses because of untimely rains and hailstorm, promised that she will talk to the government for ensuring quick and adequate compensation.