CPI(M)’s MA Baby defended Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits amid BJP criticism, comparing them to PM Modi’s frequent tours. The remarks followed “missing” posters in Delhi, while the BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla slammed Rahul’s alleged absence.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby on Sunday defended Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi amid the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) criticism over his reported foreign visits, saying there was “nothing wrong” with travelling abroad and drawing a comparison with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overseas tours.
CPI(M) leader draws comparison with PM Modi
Speaking to ANI on posters describing Rahul Gandhi as “missing” that appeared in parts of the national capital, MA Baby said Gandhi, as the Leader of the Opposition and a senior Congress leader, was free to undertake foreign visits. “Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition. He is a very important leader of the Congress party. He sometimes visits foreign countries, and there is nothing wrong with that,” the CPI(M) leader said.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, he added, “The Prime Minister visits abroad frequently. Even now, he is in Seychelles. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be the Prime Minister with the maximum number of foreign tours. I have not made any calculation, but very recently he advised people to reduce foreign travel.”
BJP hits back over ‘missing’ posters
The CPI(M) leader’s remarks came after posters calling Rahul Gandhi “missing” surfaced in several parts of Delhi amid the BJP’s criticism of the Congress leader over his reported overseas trips.
Reacting to the issue, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Gandhi of frequently remaining absent during important political and parliamentary occasions.
In a post on X, Poonawalla referred to the Congress MP as “Gumshuda Lapata MIA Rahul Baba” and “Leader of Paryatan.”
In a separate post and a video message, the BJP spokesperson contrasted Prime Minister Modi’s work record with Rahul Gandhi’s reported foreign visits, claiming the Prime Minister had spent nearly 9,000 days as Chief Minister and Prime Minister without taking a holiday.
Poonawalla further alleged that Gandhi prioritised vacations over parliamentary responsibilities and questioned the expenditure on his foreign trips, claiming that the Congress leader had not disclosed how the visits were funded.
The BJP has continued to target Rahul Gandhi over his reported absence, while opposition leaders have dismissed the criticism, maintaining that foreign travel by political leaders is not unusual.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)