Sonia Gandhi has gone abroad with son Rahul Gandhi for her medical check up (File photo)
Highlights
- Rahul Gandhi is accompanying Sonia Gandhi abroad for medical check-up
- Key decisions like Karnataka ministry allocation put on hold: sources
- Sonia Gandhi had a surgery in the US in 2011
Sonia Gandhi is travelling abroad for a medical check-up and her son and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who flew out with her on Sunday night, put out a tweet that had a message for - as described by him - "friends in the BJP social media troll army".
Sonia Gandhi, who remains the chairperson of the Congress-led UPA after handing charge of the party to her son in December, had a surgery in the US in 2011.
Rahul Gandhi plans to return within a week but Sonia Gandhi will stay abroad for a longer period, Press Trust of India quoted sources as saying.
The sources said key decisions, including the allocation of ministries in Karnataka after a Congress-Janata Dal Secular government led by HD Kumaraswamy took over last week, have been put on hold.
The BJP's tweet, posted hours after Rahul Gandhi's, also referred to it. Before leaving, the Congress president reportedly met with party leaders to decide on the
Karnataka ministries but the discussions were inconclusive, according to PTI. Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, however, denied any delay, asserting: "Rahul's absence will not delay it. He is available over phone 24x7.""
Rahul Gandhi's trip coincides with crucial by-polls that will test the opposition's unity against the BJP, especially in Uttar Pradesh. After voting today for by-polls in parliamentary and assembly seats across 10 states, the results will be declared on Thursday.
On June 6, Rahul Gandhi is
scheduled to address a rally at Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh to mark one year since police firing on protesting farmers.