New Delhi:

After months of gruelling election campaigns from Lok Sabha polls 2024 to Assembly elections, Sunday marked a relaxing and refreshing weekend for the Gandhi family. Rahul and Priyanka, both Congress MPs from Rae Bareli and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively, took a break from their official engagements and assembled at the city’s iconic Kwality restaurant, to spend some ‘family time’ together.

They were accompanied by mother Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka’s husband Robert Varda, daughter Miraya Vadra and also her mother-in-law.

The whole Gandhi family gathered at the Kwality restaurant to gorge on chole-bhature and other lip-smacking dishes.

Rahul Gandhi also shared some photos of the family sitting and dining together, on his WhatsApp status. The images, as landed on social media, also elicited many likes and comments from the netizens, many of whom hailed the family sharing some special moments on the dining table.

In the photos, Rahul and family could be seen sitting in a cozy space of the restaurant and flaunting broad smiles on their faces. Sonia Gandhi is also seen sharing a smile while Robert Vadra flaunting a fully-bloated bhatura.

Putting the photos on his status, Rahul wrote, “Family lunch at the iconic Kwality Restaurant.”

“Try the Chole Bhature if you go,” he said further in an advice to the foodies.

The picture also makes for a powerful frame as it represents three Parliamentarians in a single snap, the largest ever representation from the Gandhi family.

Rahul Gandhi is Leader of Opposition (LoP) as well as MP from Rae Bareli, his sister Priyanka is MP from Wayanad while mother Sonia Gandhi — a former Congress president — is a Rajya Sabha member.

For the unversed, the Kwality restaurant situated in Delhi’s Connaught Place was patronised by American soldiers in the pre-Independence era. For many decades, the restaurant has remained a favourite food joint for connoisseurs because of its eclectic variety of multi-continental cuisines.

The chola-bhatura served at the restaurant remains one of the most sold-out items for generations. Many of its regular customers include celebrities from varied fields, including Bollywood. Late actress Nargis was a regular visitor here.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has claimed that the Gandhi family played a part in both his rise and his subsequent marginalisation within the party. “The irony of my life is that my political career was made by the Gandhis and unmade by the Gandhis,” Mr Aiyar remarked. 

In an exclusive interview with news agency PTI, the 83-year-old claimed that he was not given any substantial, direct engagement with key members of the Gandhi family over the years.

“For 10 years, I was not given an opportunity to meet Sonia Gandhi one-on-one. I was not given an opportunity, except once, of spending any meaningful time with Rahul Gandhi. And I have not spent time with Priyanka except on one occasion, no, two occasions,” he said, adding that Priyanka  Gandhi has occasionally called him on the phone, which has kept some level of contact alive.

EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: “For 10 years, I was not given an opportunity to meet Sonia Gandhi one-on-one. I was not given an opportunity, except once, of spending any meaningful time with Rahul Gandhi. And I have not spent time with Priyanka except on one occasion, no, two occasions. She… pic.twitter.com/A40wVsV0vd

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 15, 2024

Recalling one particular incident, Mr Aiyar said he had to rely on the Wayanad MP to convey his birthday wishes to Rahul Gandhi during a period when he was suspended from the party. 

“I happened to meet her (Priyanka Gandhi) and she’s always been very kind to me,” he said. “And I thought that since Rahul’s birthday was in June, I could ask her to convey my greetings to Rahul.”

According to Mr Aiyar, when Priyanka Gandhi asked why he wasn’t talking to Rahul Gandhi himself, he replied, “I am suspended and therefore I can’t talk to my leader.”

The veteran leader said he wrote a letter to Rahul Gandhi – a gesture that began with birthday greetings but also sought clarity on his suspension, but “never got any acknowledgement for that letter”.

Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on May 1 said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will finalise the candidates for the Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and the announcement will be made soon.

While addressing a press conference at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mr. Ramesh said, “CEC has authorized the Congress President for Rae Bareli and Amethi and he will take the decision soon and you will know officially in the next 24 to 30 hours.”

Congress held a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting earlier on April 27 to discuss the candidates for the remaining seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said that a proposal was given from the UP Congress to the CEC that the Gandhi family should contest the Amethi and Raibareli seats and the decision was left to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Rahul Gandhi lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani in Amethi in the 2019 elections.

Ms. Irani has already filed her nomination papers for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. “It is an absolute honour that BJP and the senior leaders of the party have given me the support for my candidature from Amethi. Because of the positive contribution of PM Modi towards Amethi, in the last 5 years in Amethi, 1.14 lakh homes, 4 lakh toilets, 3.5 lakh water connections were provided and 1.5 lakh families received electricity connections…There are many works that PM Modi has helped deliver to the people of Amethi,” she said.

On being asked about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s candidature from Amethi and Raebareli, she said that she can contest against anybody only if there is a candidate against her. “I don’t have a candidate against me, I can only contest if there is a candidate against me, ” she said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is vying for a second term in Parliament from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, having secured a significant victory there during the 2019 elections. So far, the Congress has announced 308 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha election that got underway on April 19.