BJP says Rahul Gandhi was in Vietnam during Holi, questions 'frequency' of visits

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad raised concerns over Rahul Gandhi's 'curious' and 'extraordinary fondness for Vietnam', while Amit Malviya claimed it posed serious national security questions.

In Short

• BJP says Rahul Gandhi's 'undisclosed foreign trips' unbefitting of an MP
• Says he is spending more time in Vietnam than constituency Rae Bareli
• Seeks explanation for Rahul Gandhi's 'extraordinary fondness' for country

The BJP on Saturday targeted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making frequent trips to Vietnam and other countries without public disclosure. The party pointed out that such undisclosed trips are unbecoming of the Leader of the Opposition and raised concerns about "national security".

Addressing a press briefing, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "New Year's in Vietnam, Holi too in Vietnam? I have been told he has given 22 days' time in Vietnam. He hasn't even spent that much time in his own constituency, Rae Bareli."

Ravi Shankar Prasad raised concerns over Rahul Gandhi's 'curious' and 'extraordinary fondness for Vietnam', while Amit Malviya claimed it posed serious national security questions.

Asking the Congress to reveal details about Rahul Gandhi's 'frequent' visits abroad, BJP's national IT cell head Amit Malviya took to X and said, "As the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi holds a crucial position, and his numerous clandestine trips abroad, especially while Parliament is in session, raise serious questions about propriety and national security."

Rahul Gandhi's recent trip to Vietnam comes amid the ongoing Budget session in Parliament and months after he left for the South Asian nation during the seven-day mourning period for India's former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh.

Gandhi's last trip to Vietnam following Manmohan Singh's death on December 26 also drew sharp criticism, with the BJP saying that the Congress leader left for New Year's celebrations when the "country is mourning Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's demise".

"Rahul Gandhi politicised and exploited Dr. Singh's death for his expedient politics, but his contempt for him is unmissable," Malviya had said.

However, the Congress party, defending Gandhi's visits to Vietnam, said earlier that he kept on visiting the country "to study its economic model".

"He has gone there to study their economic model," Congress leader Harish Rawat had remarked.