Rahul Gandhi and Varun Gandhi bumped into each other at Kedarnath on Tuesday and exchanged pleasantries outside the shrine. Rahul Gandhi was wrapping up his visit and Varun Gandhi along with his family reached there today. The meeting was very short and warm and Rahul Gandhi was very happy to meet Varun’s daughter Anusuiya, reports said. The exchange of pleasantries has triggered political speculations ahead of the general elections as Varun Gandhi though active in his constituency Pilibhit has not been seen in party programmes. There was no political discussion at the brief meeting, those present said.

Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee president Ajendra Ajay said that Varun Gandhi arrived at Kedarnath Dham in the morning for darshan while Rahul Gandhi has been there for the last three days. Rahul Gandhi met Varun Gandhi briefly before returning Ajay confirmed.

Earlier this year, when Rahul Gandhi was doing his Bharat Jodo Yatra, he was asked about Varun Gandhi and whether Varun Gandhi was welcome to the Bharat Jodo walk. At that time he said he can lovingly meet and hug his cousin but the ideologies do not match. “Varun Gandhi is in BJP. If he walks in here, then it might be a problem for him. My ideology doesn’t match his ideology. I can never go to the RSS office, you’ll have to behead me before that. My family has an ideology, a thought system. Varun once adopted, maybe still does, that ideology. He internalised that ideology. I can’t accept that,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Varun Gandhi is 10 years younger than Rahul Gandhi. In 2011, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi did not attend Varun Gandhi’s wedding.

(With inputs from Neeraj Santoshi, PTI)