TERMING IT a matter of national security, the BJP on Thursday accused Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of having made undeclared and “secret trips” abroad, and sought to know the reason for the visits and the source of the funds.
The Congress hit back saying the BJP’s allegations were a tactic to divert attention from “setback after setback” for the NDA government’s foreign policy.
BJP national spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra, addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, alleged that Gandhi had made 54 personal foreign trips in 22 years of his public life. Approximately ₹60 crore was spent on his travels while his declared income over the past 10 years was only about ₹11 crore, said the BJP leader.
“During his 22 years in public life (2004 to 2026), Rahul Gandhi has undertaken 54 foreign trips to countries such as Italy, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Bahrain, Maldives, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates,” Patra said.
“According to the available details, in the past 10 years, Rahul Gandhi’s total income was ₹11 crore. On one hand, there is an income of ₹11 crore, while on the other hand, ₹60 crore was spent on foreign trips,” he said.
According to Patra, five “major mismatches” emerged with regard to his foreign trips: financial year 2014–15, when his total income was approximately ₹86 lakh, nearly ₹4.5 crore was spent on a single foreign trip; in 2017–18, his total income was around ₹1.2 crore, while approximately ₹6 crore was spent on foreign travel.
Similarly, in 2019–20, Gandhi’s income stood around ₹1.29 crore, whereas nearly ₹4.6 crore was spent on foreign travel, in 2021–22, against an approximate income of ₹1.03 crore, around ₹2.6 crore was spent on foreign travel, said Patra.
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“So far, six of Rahul Gandhi’s trips have been described as undeclared, and if the Oman trip is confirmed, it will be the seventh undeclared trip… No public programme related to this trip was announced, no host was disclosed, and it was not revealed who had invited him…No permission letter under FCRA Section 6 has been shown either,” Patra alleged.
“If Rahul Gandhi went on a foreign trip, he should have written to the Central government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to seek prior permission, because that is the rule for a Member of Parliament. The Congress should make that permission letter public by this evening,” he said.
Patra sought to know who hosted the visit, whether it was an Indian or a foreign entity, was permission obtained from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
If the visit was not foreign-funded and Gandhi had travelled on his own expense, then the related bank statements, forex vouchers or audit records be made public, the BJP leader demanded.
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Reacting to Patra’s allegations, Congress general secretary in charge for communication Jairam Ramesh said: “Diversions are being created by Mr Sambit Patra and the BJP. The real issue is the economic collapse that is staring the country. The real issue is the setback after setback on foreign policy.”
“A compromised PM, a PM thoroughly exposed domestically and internationally. His claims about being a Vishwaguru have been completely punctured. He is capitulating to China day in and day out. All this is to take attention away from that and talk about Mr Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trips in the past. Mr Patra should find better topics.”
