New Delhi: A day after defending Rahul Gandhi's sabbatical during the budget session, Congress on Tuesday said the party vice president has gone on leave for two weeks.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, however, steered clear of questions whether Gandhi is in India or abroad, and whether he was angry and sulking.
"We have made known the whole situation quite clearly. Do not try to find various meanings, possibilities in it and resort to speculation and spread the needle of suspicion. We reject such attempts to speculate other possibilities", Surjewala told reporters.
Replying to a volley of questions, he, however, said Gandhi has gone on "two weeks leave".
"You should not pay attention to such kind of things", he remarked when a reporter queried whether Gandhi was angry.
Asked about Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's tweet questioning the timing of Gandhi's leave, Surjewala snapped: "I have not seen his statement. That could be his opinion".
Singh had found fault with the "timing" of Rahul Gandhi's sudden sabbatical but defended his decision to take a break for reflecting in the wake of the party's wipeout in the Delhi Assembly Elections on top of a string of electoral losses.
"If Rahul wans to reflect, what went wrong why criticise him? Every one wants some peace to reflect. Only timing could have been better," Singh tweeted.
"Rahul Gandhi has articulated the Congress viewpoint", Surjewala insisted when a reporter wanted to know whether Gandhi should have "led from the front" on the controversial land ordinance.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha sources said Rahul Gandhi has given no letter to the Secretariat about his absence from the House.
"We have received no letter", the sources said adding that such a letter is needed when a member wants to take more than three weeks leave.
On Monday, another Congress spokesperson, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, had said: "The Congress vice president requested the party he needs some time to reflect on recent events and future course for the party. This introspection is important for the party and in view of the forthcoming All India Congress Committee (AICC) session.”
"The AICC session is of crucial importance and Rahul Gandhi will give inputs for it. So he has been given leave of absence after which he will come back to active participation," he had said.
Singhvi had, however, denied speculation of Rahul Gandhi being "angry with party leaders, getting married or quitting politics".
"All attempts to create speculation are denied," he had said.
(With Agency inputs)
