Rahul Gandhi to visit grandmother in Italy, BJP calls it a 'summer vacation picnic'

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today said he will be taking a break from politics to visit his grandmother abroad, triggering taunts from the opposition BJP which called the visit the "picnic" of a "kid during his summer vacations".

"Will be travelling to meet my grandmother & family for a few days. Looking forward to spending some time with them," Rahul Gandhi tweeted today. He did not mention how many days will he be out and where in Italy was he headed to.

Rahul's grandmother Paola Maino lives in Italy. In March, Rahul had visited the US, where his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had gone for a health check-up. Earlier, during the New Year Celebrations, the 46-year-old leader had gone to London for a short break.

As Rahul's latest foreign visit came amid hectic politics over farmers' protest or the upcoming Presidential election, the BJP took some quick jibes. "When we were kids, then we used to go to the nanihaal (maternal grandmother's place) during our summer vacations," senior BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

"You can't expect Rahul ji to be worried about the country or the farmers. He does politics to enjoy his picnics," he added.

The Congress hit back, calling it Indian culture to visit ageing grandparents. "Rahul ji is going to meet his 93-year-old grandmother. It is Indian culture to take care of your ageing parents and grandparents," Congress spokesperson RS Surjewala said.

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