Rahul Gandhi to travel to Srinagar on Wednesday on personal visit

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be travelling to Srinagar on Wednesday on a personal visit, said sources. Rahul Gandhi, who was scheduled to visit Varanasi on Tuesday, had to return to Delhi as his flight was unable to land at the Varanasi airport.

The Congress has alleged that the airport authorities denied Rahul Gandhi's plane permission to land at the Varanasi airport. Congress leader Ajay Rai has alleged that the airport authorities did not grant permission as they were under pressure, and that they used President Droupadi Murmu's visit as an 'excuse'.

"Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to arrive here and then go to Prayagraj, but the airport authority did not allow his plane to land due to pressure from the government. They said there is a heavy aircraft movement and traffic congestion and did not give permission," Rai alleged. The Congress MP was scheduled to arrive in Varanasi on Monday night and offer prayers at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple today.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has sought a reply from Rahul Gandhi on the breach of privilege notice given against him by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over "misleading, derogatory, unparliamentary and incriminatory statements" during a discussion of the motion of thanks on the President's address. Rahul Gandhi has been asked to furnish his reply by February 15 for consideration by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Gandhi, in his speech in the Lok Sabha on February 7, made several allegations against the government over the Hindenburg-Adani row.