Rahul Gandhi starts Madhya Pradesh visit, offers prayers at temple

Datia (MP), Oct 15 Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday started his two-day tour of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh by offering supplications at the renowned Maa Peetambara Peeth temple complex here.

Gandhi reached Datia district in the morning by a helicopter from Gwalior. He then went to the temple complex where he offered prayers to the deity and stayed at the 'shaktipeeth' for about thirty minutes.

State Congress president Kamal Nath and senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia went with him. Scindia introduced priests and different members of the temple trust to Gandhi.

Elections will be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 28.

The Congress chief is scheduled to address a public meeting here later in the day.

Many political bigwigs have visited the sanctuary before, state Congress representative Pankaj Chaturvedi told.

"Indira Gandhi (Rahul Gandhi's grandma) visited the shrine in 1979, preceding surveys in 1980 and later subsequent to turning into the prime minister. Later Rajiv Gandhi (the Congress chief's father) also visited the shaktipeeth after becoming PM in 1984-85," he said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia is the director of the Peetambara Trust, that deals with the undertakings of the place of worship.

Chaturvedi also recalled when the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had very sick, senior Congress leader Kamlapati Tripathi organised a special 'puja' for his recovery there.