Rahul Gandhi leaves Nepal after 'controversial' trip

Kathmandu, May 5: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi left for home from Kathmandu on Thursday evening after his 'controversial' stay in Nepal.

Rahul Gandhi had arrived in Kathmandu on Monday to participate in the wedding function of his friend, Sumnima Udas, who earlier worked with the CNN and is believed to have become friends with the Congress leader when she was posted as India correspondent for the news channels.

Soon after landing in Kathmandu, Rahul Gandhi was spotted at a nightclub with some friends of Sumnima on Monday night, triggering a myriad of reactions in India with the BJP taking potshots at the Congress leader.

Some even said that he was cozying with Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, at the night club. But security agencies in Kathmandu and the owner of the club later clarified that the lady seen with Rahul Gandhi was not the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, but a relative from the bride's side, who recently came from the US.

It was baseless to link Rahul Gandhi with the foreign diplomat, said a security official, who termed it purely as a family affair.

However, despite rumours doing the rounds, Rahul Gandhi did not make any comment about his trip to Nepal.

It is not known why Rahul Gandhi left for India by cutting short his trip by a day. Earlier, he was planning to stay in Kathmandu up to Friday. The marriage reception is planned for Friday evening at a five-star hotel in Kathmandu.

After the controversy on Monday night, Rahul Gandhi attended the marriage ceremony of Sumnima on Tuesday evening and left for a resort near Kathmandu to spend the night and the next day.

He took a regular Vistara flight to Delhi on Thursday evening, a senior security official told IANS.