NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday left for the United States, triggering confusion about the purpose of his visit.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Tuesday night said, “Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is travelling to Aspen, US on a short visit to attend a conference. The conference is expected to be attended by global leaders from various domains, both from government and private sectors.” He, however, did not give dates about the conference or the duration of the visit.

READ ALSO: India, US ask Pakistan to act against 26/11 perpetrators

The timing of Rahul’s visit appeared interesting as he would be in the US when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would also be visiting New York to attend the UN General Assembly session. The PM has a host of other engagements lined up for the visit.

Earlier in the day, senior party leaders fuelled speculation about Rahul’s overseas trip by saying it was a “personal” visit while some privately said the Congress vice president would be visiting his ailing grand mother.

During the routine media briefing of the party in the evening, Surjewala said, “Rahul is travelling abroad on a short personal visit. We reject all rumours stating otherwise. He will continue to lead the party's Bihar campaign as also in the rest of the country.”

Early this year, Rahul’s 56-day sabbatical just when the budget session of Parliament started had led to much talk and speculation in political circles.

READ ALSO: John Kerry confident India-US bilateral trade can increase five-fold to $500bn

The latest visit also raised eyebrows because campaign for Bihar elections is set to hit a high pitch. The US visit comes after hectic campaigning by Rahul in the last few days. While he addressed a rally in Bihar on Saturday, he led the Ramlila Maidan show on Sunday, capping it with a workers' meeting of UP in Mathura on Monday.

For many, there was also curious because earlier Congress had said that its leaders would tail the PM on foreign land to rebut any political criticism in a public meeting.

