Sonia Gandhi on private visit to Goa

Panaji, Sep 27 (IANS) Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrived here on a private visit on Wednesday afternoon, party sources said.

Gandhi reached Goa in a private plane and has checked into a five-star resort at South Goa's Mobor beach. She is likely to leave on Thursday after spending a day at the beach-fronted resort, a source said.

State Mahila Congress President Pratima Coutinho told IANS that it is a matter of pride that the Congress President chooses to visit Goa on private visits often.

"It is something to be proud that our President comes to Goa to relax. Goa is gifted with scenic beauty," she said.

Asked if the state Congress leadership would be meeting Gandhi during her brief visit, Congress Secretary Girish Chodankar said: "If she is on a private visit, no one should disturb her."

Gandhi last visited the holiday state in November last year along with her daughter Priyanka. A month later she returned to the same five-star hotel at Mobor beach to usher in New Year.

During his election speech in South Goa's Margao town, Sonia Gandhi's son and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said that his mother loved the "pollution-free" beaches of Goa and had expressed a desire to visit the coastal state again.