New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who has often faced political criticism over his overseas travel, is again at the centre of a fresh row after reports said he would be heading to Vietnam.
The BJP shared a video on social media showing him on a flight and posted a sarcastic message implying he was “tired of spreading lies” and would be away in Vietnam for a few days. BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh also alleged that Gandhi has previously taken long breaks abroad after political programmes, suggesting he may have visited Vietnam earlier as well.
BJP leader Shazia Ilmi intensified the attack, claiming the issue of alleged “vote theft” was merely a pretext and accusing Gandhi of being unwilling to work for long stretches, while asserting that he had once again left for Vietnam.
Responding for the Congress, Sandeep Dikshit questioned why Gandhi’s travel should be controversial, noting that others also travel abroad. He said Gandhi, as an opposition leader, has responsibilities and has held interactions with students and academics, including at Yale University and in London, and met journalists.
Dikshit further argued that the BJP had no grounds to object, adding that earlier governments followed a convention that the prime minister should not travel abroad when Parliament was in session, and alleged that this convention had since been broken without similar scrutiny.
