Rahul Gandhi returns to India after 57-day absence, BJP mocks him

Gandhi, 44, often termed as a reluctant politician or prince [he being the Gandhi political dynasty scion], arrived here on a flight from Bangkok amid reports that he could be in Thailand or Vietnam or Myanmar.

Congress president and mother Sonia Gandhi, and sister Priyanka received him at his home, said reports, even as hordes of media persons waited outside his residence on Tughlaq Lane for a byte or footage of his return.

Congress supporters celebrated the return of Rahul Gandhi by bursting crackers even as social media buzzed with satirical remarks on his absence.

Rahul Gandhi on April 19 will address a farmers' rally  to protest against the land Bill brought by the BJP.

Amid controversy over the timing of his sabbatical from politics, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi remained totally incommunicado for the whole period of his absence from India.

Rahul Gandhi has been on leave since Feb 22.

During his absence, even missing posters were seen in his parliamentary constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi acts like an Item Number of Indian politics who was audacious enough to take politics as part-time job by simply doing a vanishing act for months.

"A missing person has been found," said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra speaking to media.

He said far from posing a challenge to BJP, the challenge  lies within Congress now on whether Rahul Gandhi should be demoted or promoted or if Rahul should want to continue in politics.

On a serious note, he said, it is audacious for a person like Rahul Gandhi to take politics as a part time job since he represents a constituency and is a member of Parliament.

"There is no item number in Indian politics," said Patra, adding that Rahul Gandhi's vacation was not sabbatical and he had simply ran away.

Rahul's disappearance when the budget session of Parliament began generated a lot of controversy, within his party Congress as many leaders while admitting that he had a right to go on a holiday and privacy said the timing was bad.

When Rahul left for an undisclosed destination in February, Congress leader Ambika Soni had said that Rahul Gandhi took leave as he wanted some time  to "introspect" and "contemplate".

Taking leave of absence when the parliament's budget session began  with the much debated land bill being the burning issue for the opposition was seen as a politically unwise move for the Congress vice-president.

While the Congress said Rahul was "granted leave of absence for a few weeks after which he will return and resume his active participation in the affairs of the Congress party", he came back actually after 56 days or so.

The Congress experienced a total rout in the Delhi assembly elections failing to secure a single seat.

Pic: Congress FB