Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 15: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) takes jabs at Rahul Gandhi over his repeated visits to Vietnam—including one during Holi—Congress leader Udit Raj has stepped in to defend him, dismissing the criticism as baseless.
Rahul Gandhi’s second trip to Vietnam this year has drawn sharp remarks from the BJP, with senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad quipping, “He is spending more time in Vietnam than in his constituency.” The Congress MP’s first visit to the country had also raised eyebrows, as it coincided with the national mourning period for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Responding to the attacks, Udit Raj brushed aside the controversy, asserting that every individual has the right to make personal choices. Speaking to IANS, he criticized the BJP’s fixation on Rahul’s travels while taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic engagements.
"Rahul Gandhi is not like PM Modi. When Donald Trump said that BRICS is dead, all BRICS nations, including India, were left anxious. Had a well-versed leader like Rahul Gandhi been present, would Trump have dared to make such a remark?" Udit Raj argued.
Countering the BJP’s criticism, he pointed out the Prime Minister’s own record of foreign travel. "PM Modi has met Xi Jinping 18 times. Rahul Gandhi doesn’t travel abroad as frequently as Modi. With so much work to be done in India, why does the Prime Minister spend so much time on international trips?" he questioned.
Regarding Rahul Gandhi’s absence during Holi, the Congress leader dismissed the concerns as irrelevant. “How does it impact the country’s politics? Holi is a personal celebration. If Rahul Gandhi had stayed in India, would the entire nation have come to meet him?” he remarked.
Emphasizing personal freedom, Udit Raj concluded, “Everyone has the right to celebrate festivals in their own way. If Rahul Gandhi chooses to mark Holi in Vietnam, how is that anyone else’s concern?”
With the Lok Sabha elections approaching, the debate over Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trips is likely to remain a flashpoint between the BJP and Congress.