As he began his three-day Gujarat visit on Saturday, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi sparked a war of words between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with his visit to Akshardham and Ambaji temple in the poll-bound state.


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But the political bickering failed to deter the Gandhi scion, as he visited another temple in Gujarat on Monday. On the last day of his visit, Rahul Gandhi offered prayers the Vir Meghmaya temple in Patan.



After arriving in Gujarat on Saturday, the Congress leader went straight to Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar. A video of his praying at the temple was also shared on social media.



The Gandhi scion also made a visit to Ambaji temple on the first day of his visit.


His visit to the temples did not go down well the ruling BJP, which claimed that the visits were aimed at garnering Hindu votes.


Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel had said, "Why is Rahul Gandhi visiting temples only ahead of elections? People know their intention that they want to get votes through such gimmicks. They have no inclination for devotion as during Rahul Gandhi's earlier trips, he never visited any temple."


"We wish that Congress sheds its pseudo-secularism and respects mainstream Hindutva. But their gimmicks to get votes will not work in Gujarat," Patel added.


The Congress party hit back at the BJP, saying people would teach the ruling party a lesson as it was opposing a visit to temple.


"Does anybody have a patent on devotion? They are opposing a visit to the temple. People of Gujarat will teach them a lesson," Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil said.


"Rahul Gandhiji has visited a Jain temple and gurudwaras apart from Hindu temples. We believe in secularism," he had said.


The assembly elections in Gujarat are slated to be held next month on December 9 and 14.