Political connotations seen in Sonia’s visit to Ramakrishna Mission

Like Indira Gandhi, who called on Bharat Maharaj, the veteran monk at Belurmath, during many of her visits to Bengal, Sonia too could not be unaware of the impact of her visit to the Mission monks. But significantly, unlike Indira, she is a Christian. The short visit today, her third – she first visited the Belurmath with her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi and then with her husband Rajiv — began with her presiding over the letter handover toSwami Smarananda, general secretary of the Mission.

The Congress chief was accompanied by Rajasthan Tourism Minister Bina Kak and AICC leaders, like Pranab Mukherjee and Gulam Nabi Azad. Sonia and other leaders accompanied by Mission monks later visited the temple of Ramakrishna and also the building and the room where Swami Vivekananda used to stay.Later, speaking to reporters, Veena Kak said the letters — one dated February 15, 1893 and another dated May 22, 1893 — were “given to the Mission not on permanent basis and the Rajasthan Government reserves its right to take them back”.