Sonia Gandhi leaves for US for routine medical check-up, to miss first half of Parliament session

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at a party briefing (File image: Reuters)

Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi has gone abroad for a routine medical check-up accompanied by her son and former party chief Rahul, several reports suggest.

According to a PTI report, Gandhi has left for the United States and is expected to be away for around a fortnight. She would reportedly miss more than half of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Her medical check-up was overdue and was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sources told the news agency.

Gandhi would be returning in the last week of September, and had cleared the Congress' organisational restructuring before departing for her medical check-up.

"Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi is travelling today onwards for a routine follow up & medical check up, which was deferred due to the pandemic.She is accompanied by Sh. Rahul Gandhi.We take this opportunity to thank everyone for their concern & good wishes," senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewal, who was appointed as the party's Karnataka unit in-charge recently, said in a tweet.

Last month, Gandhi was admitted to New Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for routine tests.