Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi is facing political heat over his nearly three-week foreign trip, with the ruling BJP questioning the purpose of his overseas visit.
BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya has demanded Rahul Gandhi to explain his travels between June 22 and July 13.
“Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trip between 22 June and 13 July remains shrouded in mystery. Where did he go? Who did he meet? Who sponsored his travel and stay? These are legitimate questions that the Leader of the Opposition should come clean about,” Malviya said on X.
The BJP leader further asserted that the public is “entitled to know whether his overseas engagements involved meetings that could have a bearing on India’s political or strategic interests.”
More than in the BJP, Rahul Gandhi’s absence has become a key discussion across the sections of the Opposition.
Rahul MIA in Wayanad
Rahul Gandhi didn’t visit Wayanad where nine people were killed in a landslide. Rahul represented Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency until 2024. The seat is now reoresented by his sister Priyanka Gandhi but he was expected to visit the constituency that elected him to Lok Sabha in 2019 when he lost Amethi to BJP’s Smriti Irani.
Moreover, a major anti-establishment protest is currently underway at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, drawing support from almost every major Opposition party except the Congress.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has been protesting at Jantar Mantar for nearly 25 days over the issue of alleged paper leaks.
The CJP has been demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, taking responsibility for the recent examination paper leaks.
Renowned scientist and activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the protest. When the government didnt respond to CJP’s demand for Pradhan’s resignation, Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike, which entered its 17th day today (July 14).
Absence from Jantar Mantar protest
As Wangchuk’s health deteriorated, several Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, AAP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, urged him to end his fast.
Uddhav Thackeray, whose party is party of the Congress-led INDIA alliance, has publicly urged Rahul Gandhi to participate in the protest.
However, neither the Congress nor Rahul Gandhi has publicly commented on the CJP protest or Wangchuk’s hunger strike so far.
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, Wangchuk has also expressed his disappointment over the absence of Congress from Jantar Manatar, saying it would be the Opposition’s “pettiness” if the chose not to participate in the youth-led movement.
He also reportedly said that the youth of the country will reject the Congress if the party stayed away from the CJP-led Jantar Mantar protest.
Rahul Gandhi is holding his own ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Voice of the Students) campaign against paper leaks. The Congress leader is scheduled to attend a ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ program in Dehradun on July 17.
The Congress party is also demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the issue.