INDIA
The Gandhi family has had a special kinship with the Bhutanese royals ever since the time of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was the centre of attraction today at the ceremonial reception accorded to Bhutan's newly-wed royal couple as he was the only guest invited to the event, signifying the importance this tiny nation attaches to the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Gandhi, who arrived here from New Delhi yesterday to attend the celebrations, mingled freely with members of the royal family, who had personally invited him to participate in the National Celebrations to mark the fairy tale wedding of King Jigme Khesar Nagyel Wangchuck with his childhood sweetheart Jetsun Pema.
The ceremonial reception, during which the king and the queen were accorded Guard of Honour by the Royal Bhutan Army, was a family-and-government affair except for the presence of Gandhi, who is a close friend of 31-year-old Oxford-educated King.
Accompanied by the present King's father Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Rahul came to the TashichhoDzong, the seat of the Royal Government of Bhutan, at around 7am local time, much later than the members of the royal family who had assembled at the large monastic fortress.
The 41-year-old Nehru-Gandhi family scion was introduced to Je Khenpo, the chief monk of Bhutan, and then escorted straight to the place where the members of the royal family were waiting.
All shook hands with him warmly and the Amethi MP was seen chatting with them casually for over 20 minutes as they waited for the king and the queen to arrive.
"He (Rahul) is the only guest invited for the ceremony. He is a very close friend of our king and both families have had an excellent relationship over the years," Dasho Kinley Dorji, secretary, Bhutan's Ministry of Information and Communication, told PTI.
"His father Rajiv Gandhi was a close friend of the present king's father," he said.
Rahul Gandhi, a personal guest of the royal family, was not accompanied by SPG personnel when he visited the palace and attended the reception.
Sporting a smile, Rahul, clad in his trademark white kurta-pyjama with a black coat, welcomed the king and queen with a 'namaste' and even bowed for a while along with the members of the royal family as a mark of respect to the couple.
Rahul was also introduced to other members of the civilian government and stood patiently as the Guard of Honour was presented.
At the National Day celebrations too, Rahul was a special guest and was seated in a special enclosure that had only members from the royal family.
His party colleague and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia came to his enclosure and was seen talking to him for a while.
Whenever the king stood up, the people sitting with him in the royal enclosure also rose. The Gandhi family has had a special kinship with the Bhutanese royals ever since the time of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The entire Gandhi family, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, had attended Wangchuck's coronation in 2008.
'I think bro is her EX': Man performs risky bike stunt with burqa-clad woman in Bangladesh, watch
Viral video: Little girl's power-packed dance to 'beer song' melts hearts online, watch
Explained: Why India must win the 1st Test against Australia in Perth
Raima Sen mourns Bharat Dev Varma's demise, pens emotional note for 'great father, great husband'
DNA TV Show: Ahead of Maharashtra poll results, MVA, Mahayuti engage in resort politics
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...