Gandhi, on his way to Chitrakoot in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, landed at Bamrauli airport in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad by a special plane. When he arrived to interact with party workers, three of them chanted 'Bam Bam Bhole' and 'Har Har Mahadev' to greet the Congress chief.
Haseeb Ahmed, a Congress worker, said Gandhi greeted them back when they chanted the slogans but Allahabad district Congress leader did not like the chants.
"When Rahul ji came to Allahabad we chanted 'Bam Bam Bhole' and Har Har Mahadev', he greeted us. Later we come to know Allahabad district Congress leader Anil Dwivedi did not like these chants and he suspended us," Ahmed told ANI.
Dwivedi, however, said the three persons were expelled from the party for ignoring party discipline and breaking the security norms while chanting the slogans.
After Gandhi arrived from Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, he has been portrayed as 'Shiv Bhakt' by the Congress. Barely months ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the entire spectacle is being seen as Congress' efforts to woo Hindu voters.
Recently, when Gandhi went to Amethi, his parliamentary constituency, hundreds of Congress supporters dressed as 'Kanwars' or devotees of Lord Shiva chanted "bol bam" to receive him. He was also greeted with posters hailing 'Shiv Bhakt Rahul Gandhi'.