In what appears to be a major goof-up, Rahul Gandhi’s display of ‘soft Hindutva’ by visiting temples in Gujarat to garner Hindu votes seems to have backfired on him. On a visit to the famed Somnath temple in Saurashtra, his name appeared on the entry register meant for non-Hindus.
Two years ago, it was reported that non-Hindu visitors would require permission from the office of general manager of Shree Somnath Trust before entering the premises. It has since been made mandatory to all non-Hindu pilgrims visiting the shrine.
While media reports are clamouring to say that Gandhi has “declared himself” to be a non-Hindu, the Times of India has reported that it was an error due to the Congress party’s media coordinator Manoj Tyagi. Tyagi had allegedly entered Gandhi’s name in the register while entering Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel’s name.