After Kailash Mansarovar, Rahul Gandhi to visit Dubai next month

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar - the abode of Lord Shiva -  is likely to visit Dubai next month, sources said on Saturday. 

Though there is no official word on Gandhi scion's Dubai visit as yet, the sources claim that the Congress chief is likely to go there in the second week of October.

However, the date of Congress president's Dubai visit has not been finalised yet.

If the sources are to be believed, the Congress president will use the opportunity to connect with the Indian diaspora in Dubai.

Nearly 34 lakh people of Indian origin live in Dubai. 

The Congress party is reportedly planning to organise a PM Narendra Modi-like event in Dubai for its chief.

In order to make the event successful, the party is trying to book a big stadium with a capacity of at least 50,000 for Rahul Gandhi's interaction with the Indian diaspora during his Dubai visit.

According to sources, Congress is keen on booking the famous Sharjah Cricket Stadium for Rahul Gandhi's 'Modi-like' event.

PM Modi had addressed a huge gathering at the Dubai Opera House in February this year.

The party will make a formal announcement in this regard once the date and venue are finalised.

Rahul Gandhi has been using his foreign trips to target the Narendra Modi government over a range of issues.

He has recently visited Germany and United Kingdom during which he interacted with the Indian diaspora and attended a host of other events in the two countries.

He also made a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government over a wide range of issues including demonetisation, GST, declining Rupee, the Doklam standoff with China etc.

At present, the Congress president is on a 12-day Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which began on August 31 via Nepal.

Three days prior to this, Rahul Gandhi had expressed contentment on his trip to Kailash Mansarovar and said that "a man goes to Kailash only when it calls him." 

He also described the waters of the Mansarovar Lake as "gentle, tranquil and calm" 

Rahul Gandhi's trip to Kailash Mansarovar has faced criticism from the ruling BJP, which has accused him of acting like China's spokesperson over his decision to undertake the trip via China route.

Giriraj Singh, a senior BJP leader, also mocked Rahul Gandhi and said that the images of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra shared by the Congress chief were not genuine.

Earlier, a controversy over Rahul Gandhi allegedly eating non-vegetarian food at a restaurant in Nepal had erupted following which a clarification was issued by the restaurant.