KATHMANDU, MAY 3
After a video of Rahul Gandhi, former president of Indian National Congress and a member of Parliament, showing him partying at a night club in Kathmandu went viral, the Congress party has clarified that Rahul was in Nepal to attend the wedding of his friend Sumnima Udas.
Sumnima, who was a journalist with CNN, is the daughter of Ambassador of Nepal to Myanmar Bhim Udas.
She is getting married to Nima Martin Sherpa, a Nepali businessman based in China.
The video created a buzz in India after Amit Malviya, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party's information and technology department, put it on Twitter.
When asked about Gandhi's whereabouts, Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala told reporters, "Rahul Gandhi has not gone as an uninvited guest like Prime Minister Modi went to Pakistan to celebrate birthday and cut cakes for the then Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. Rahul Gandhi has gone to a friendly country Nepal to participate in a private marriage function of a friend. By chance, the friend also happens to be a journalist. So I think they are also abusing your fraternity."
"Last when I checked, having a family in this country, having friends in this country, attending marriage, engagement ceremonies is a matter of our culture and civilization.
It has still not become a crime in this country to be married, to be friends with someone, or to attend their marriage celebration,"
Surjewala said at an AICC press conference.
"Maybe after today Prime Minister Modi and the BJP may decide that it is illegal to attend a marriage. They may say it is a crime to have friends or participate in family functions.
But do let me know so that we all change our status, habits and civilisational practices of attending the marriage of friends as also family," he added, The Indian Express reported.
Rahul Gandhi had visited Kathmandu in August 2018 also while on his way to Kailash Mansarovar.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 04, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
