Rahul still awaiting MEA permission to go on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who had expressed a desire to go for the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra after the Karnataka assembly elections, is yet to received special permission from the External Affairs Ministry, party sources said.

In fact, Rahul has not even received a response to his request from the MEA, whose minister Sushma Swaraj is known for responding with alacrity to every other request on Twitter

Party sources said that Rahul Gandhi could not apply during the stipulated period for the application to visit Kailash Mansarovar, and had applied for special permission, which is normally granted to Members of Parliament, but had not received a response to his application so far.

According to a MEA press release dated February 21, the last date for registration was March 23. However, Gandhi had announced his desire to undertake the pilgrimage on April 29 at the Jan Akrosh rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

This year, the yatra is scheduled from June 8 to September 8 through two routes, according to MEA.

With IANS inputs.