Seeking Blessings at the Sufi Shrine

PTI - Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai, India

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Bareilly [Uttar Pradesh]: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday paid obeisance at the shrine here of Sufi saint Ala Hazrat, where former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao was not allowed to offer a chadar shortly after the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992.

After offering a 'chadar', Rahul, who is campaigning for his party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, sought the blessings of the caretaker of the dargah.

Sources in the Congress said Rahul being allowed to pray at the dargah reflected the "increasing acceptability" of the party among Muslims.

They claimed the faith of Muslims in Rahul has increased following his recent remarks that the Babri mosque would not have been demolished had a member of the Gandhi-Nehru family been at the helm of affairs in 1992.

The shrine is revered by Hindus and Muslims and attracts hundreds of visitors every day.

Narasimha Rao had visited it a few months after the Babri mosque was demolished.