Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is the first from his family to visit Ayodhya in 24 years. Gandhi offered prayers at the Hanuman Garhi Temple this morning, making this the first visit by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992.
He put his pictures of the road show and other events, but not of his visit to Ayodhya, on Twitter. Before embarking on the fourth day of his mahayatra, the 46-year-old Congress leader also met Mahant Gyan Das at the temple.
Much significance is being attached in political circles to Rahul's visit to Hanuman Garhi, which is about a kilometre away from the Ram Temple at the disputed Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site. Rahul, however, stayed away from the site of 'shilanyas', the foundation stone that had been laid there in 1989 for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Gandhi will take a two-day halt on September 12 and 13 during his month-long mahayatra in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in view of Eid and would recommence his march from September 14.
Gandhi is undertaking a "kisan mahayatra" to highlight the plight of farmers in Uttar Pradesh. On the fourth day of the yatra that was kicked off from Deoria in eastern UP on September 6, the Congress Vice President reached Faizabad today.
"My yatra from Deoria to Delhi today in Faizabad and Ambedkar Nagar. In view of Eid, we will halt on September 12 and 13. It will commence from September 14 thereafter," he tweeted.
He took out a road show in Faizabad and also got a warm welcome from children of Faizabad Public School at Gandhi Park this morning before the beginning of the road show. He garlanded the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Acharya Narendra Dev in Faizabad.