Rahul Gandhi leaves for 'personal' foreign trip, to miss key Congress meet

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday left for a short personal visit abroad. Sources close to the party said the former Congress president left this morning and is likely to return by Sunday, ahead of the Presidential election and the Monsoon session of Parliament on July 18. The party did not disclose any details of his visit and termed it personal.

The Gandhi scion will skip a crucial party meeting for preparations of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and internal elections of the Congress on Thursday, where all general secretaries, in-charges and PCC presidents have been invited.

Rahul Gandhi has been often criticised by the BJP for his frequent visits abroad coinciding with crucial Congress meetings on important issues. All this has led the Congress rivals to question the leadership skills of Rahul Gandhi and his intention to take up a national role in reviving his party after a series of electoral debacles in several states.

His absence at Thursday's crucial Congress meeting is bound to further fuel speculation about the leadership question.