Rahul Gandhi to trek 16km for Kedarnath event

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will attend the first prayer at Kedarnath shrine when it opens on Friday morning, a Himalayan adventure that seeks to combine politics with social messaging.

Continuing to set an energetic political pace following his sabbatical, Rahul is scheduled to reach Uttarkhand on Thursday morning after which he will travel to Gauri Kund from where he would trek 18 km on foot to Kedarnath. He would spend the night at Kedarnath before participating in the opening prayers after the shrine opens for this Yatra season, considered to be the most auspicious occasion among Hindus.

Rahul would be accompanied by party general secretary Ambika Soni, CM Harish Rawat and state Congress president Kishore Upadhyay. Upadhyay said Rahul's visit would be a boon both for the state and Congress. "Rahul would be the best brand ambassador we were looking for to send a message of normalcy in Kedarnath after the devastating floods which has dried up the influx of tourists," he said.

The shrine area, besides the rest of state was hit by devastating floods two years ago. The state's economy has yet to fully recover from that blow.

Read this in Hindi: अब पैदल केदारनाथ जाएंगे राहुल गांधी

http://ift.tt/1kLIGFz Gandhi,Kedarnath shrine

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