New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi was a 'janeu (sacred thread)' wearing man after his temple visit in Gujarat. Later, during his Mansarovar trip, he came out as a follower of Shiva. Now, in Rajasthan, the Gandhi scion made his ‘gotra’ public in the presence of a head priest — he is a Dattatreya Kaul Brahmin. After conducting a religious ceremony in Pushkar, the priest declared Gandhi’s ‘gotra’.
Gandhi did not reveal the gotra to the media after attending the ceremony. Instead, it was the head priest, Rajnath Kaul, in Pushkar who revealed the same, along with evidence. Kaul said that he saw the Gandhi family’s ancestral documents which showed that from Motilal Nehru to Indira Gandhi and even his father Rajiv Gandhi belonged to the Dattatreya Kaul Brahmin. The priest added that Rahul revealed his gotra to him.
The detail holds importance ahead of the Rajasthan elections. Congress leader CP Joshi had recently said that PM Narendra Modi, BJP MP Uma Bharti and Hindu activist Sadhvi Ritambhara were from “lower castes” and didn’t know anything about Hinduism. Gandhi was quick to condemn the statement. However, with the priest revealing Gandhi's gotra, it seems to be a direct response to the BJP’s stand of being pro-Hindu.
It is also a direct response to the BJP’s claims of Gandhi wearing a 'janeu' only to woo voters.
Earlier, Speaking at a rally in Indore, the BJP spokesperson, Sambit Patra said, “If Rahul wears a ‘janeu’, what type of ‘janeu’ does he wear, what is his ‘gotra’?”
But the Gandhi scion chose to answer ‘gotra’ with ‘ghotala’ — the alleged scams that have taken place under the BJP’s watch at the Centre as well as in states.
Rahul’s grandfather, Feroze Gandhi, was a Parsi and many priests say that in the Parsi community, the man does not have any gotra. Hence, it means that Gandhi has inherited his grandmother Indira’s gotra. This is the first time that the family has had to come forth with its gotra.
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