Congress Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has embarked on another foreign trip. According to reports, Rahul Gandhi departed from Delhi for Hanoi in Vietnam late at night at 11:35 PM. The timing of this foreign visit has raised immediate political questions, coming right in the middle of ongoing controversies and intense political showdowns back home.
Prior to this departure, Rahul Gandhi had been aggressively cornering the Election Commission over issues surrounding SIR and alleged vote theft. He was actively leading protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, his sudden departure for a vacation in Vietnam amid these high-stakes protests has caught political observers by surprise, drawing sharp criticism from rival camps regarding his commitment to continuous political agitation.
BJP Launches A Sharp Attack
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi over his latest journey. BJP spokesperson Pradip Bhandari wrote on X that Rahul Gandhi is doing what he does best, which is resting and taking vacations. He questioned whether Rahul Gandhi is enjoying a break during the auspicious festival of Navratri or meeting his disruptive associates abroad.
Pradip Bhandari further remarked that a person who spends more time resting rather than doing actual groundwork ends up shouting that votes were stolen. The ruling party continues to portray him as a leader who retreats from responsibilities whenever crucial political battles are being fought on the ground.
Congress And Allies Hit Back
Defending the leader against the ruling party attacks, Congress leader Rashid Alvi stated that if Rahul Gandhi is indeed on a foreign tour, the BJP should actually celebrate because it reduces their own political troubles. The opposition camp maintains that personal visits should not be unnecessarily politicized.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party came forward in support of the Congress leader. Samajwadi Party MP Ramashankar Rajbhar asserted that Rahul's absence should come as a relief to the BJP itself, because his presence in the country would have otherwise meant continuation of intense street protests.
Past Travel Records And Reactions
Controversies surrounding Rahul Gandhi's foreign travels are not entirely new. Approximately five months ago, the BJP had similarly targeted the Congress party over his visits, claiming that Rahul Gandhi had traveled abroad 54 times over a span of 22 years. At that time, questions were also raised regarding the funding and expenses of these trips.
Uttar Pradesh government minister Sanjay Nishad also weighed in on the matter, advising that winning elections requires constant physical presence among the public rather than frequent leisure trips to foreign nations.
Sandeep Dixit Defends The Trip
Weighing in on behalf of the party, former Congress MP Sandeep Dixit stated that everyone travels abroad and questioned why the BJP camp gets so unnerved by it. He noted that the ruling party possesses the entire administrative machinery and state apparatus to find out where anyone travels within minutes.
Sandeep Dixit added that given their resources, creating such a massive uproar over a private foreign visit serves no meaningful purpose. The political debate surrounding his travel schedule continues to divide opinions across political lines.
Read Also: Rahul Gandhi thundered in Goa, stating the entire country knows that CEC Gyanesh Kumar carries out the theft of votes
