Taking a break from politics, Congress president Sonia Gandhi landed in Uttarakhand’s famous tourist spot Mussoorie on January 1, even though she made her brief public presence only on Saturday.
Party sources said Sonia, who is putting up at a bungalow of Bijendra Singh whose son Jitendra Singh was a minister in the UPA government — is likely to return to New Delhi on Tuesday. The former minister is accompanying the party president to the nearby spots of tourist interest.
On Saturday noon, Sonia met some party workers at Yamuna River bridge near Mussoorie while she was returning from a drive. She interacted with them and also obliged for photographs. Earlier, she visited a historic site at Lakhamandal where a temple is dedicated to king Ashoka. Navin Joshi, general secretary, Uttarakhand Congress, said Sonia was on a personal trip and therefore they had no idea about her visit.
Members of the Gandhi family are regular visitors to Uttarakhand. The Congress president usually visits Kausani during summers and her daughter Priyanka is fond of safari at Corbett National Park. The Congress vice-president Rahul had earlier trekked to alpine meadows in the Uttarkashi hills.