BJP Questions Rahul Gandhi's Foreign Trips: ₹60 Crore Spent Against ₹11 Crore Income

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has once again embarked on a foreign visit, triggering a sharp reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The ruling party has raised serious questions regarding the funding and expenditures associated with his frequent private trips abroad. The BJP alleged that over the past 22 years, Rahul Gandhi has undertaken 54 private foreign visits, yet the source of funding for these extensive travels remains undisclosed to the public. The party has demanded transparency, questioning who is financing these high-cost international tours. Sambit Patra stated that Rahul Gandhi has been in an elected position for about 22 years and has gone on private foreign tours 54 times during this period.

Sambit Patra Questions Funding Sources

BJP leader Sambit Patra, while addressing the media, provided a detailed account of Rahul Gandhi's foreign travels. Patra noted that Gandhi has held an elected position for nearly 22 years, during which he has traveled abroad numerous times. According to publicly available records, he has made 54 foreign trips in this period. Patra emphasized that while the fact of these travels is public knowledge, the financial backing behind them isn't. He raised concerns about whether these trips were funded privately, by the government, or by an external foreign entity, calling for a clear explanation from the Congress leader. Patra added that in every foreign trip, about 3-4 people accompanied him.

Discrepancy Between Income and Expenditure

Sambit Patra highlighted a significant gap between Rahul Gandhi's declared earnings and his estimated travel costs. He stated that the BJP possesses details of Gandhi's income from the financial year 2013-14 to 2022-23. During this decade, his total income stood at ₹11 crore. Patra pointed out the mathematical inconsistency, asking how someone with a 10-year income of ₹11 crore could afford to spend ₹60 crore on international travel. He suggested that such a massive discrepancy warrants an investigation into the actual sources of these funds. He questioned if the funding was done privately, by the government, or by a foreign institution.

List of Countries Visited by Rahul Gandhi

The BJP leader also listed the various nations Rahul Gandhi has visited over the years. According to Patra, these destinations include Italy, England, the United States, Germany, Vietnam, Singapore, Bahrain, the Maldives, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Patra mentioned that information regarding these visits is available through public host pages, press itineraries, parliamentary absence records, and photographs, while he clarified that the primary issue isn't the travel itself, but the lack of transparency regarding the financial resources used for these trips. He noted that if there is foreign funding, FCRA provisions apply, and if it's personal, it must be declared under income tax laws.

Clash Over PM Modi's 'Seven Appeals'

This political row intensified following Rahul Gandhi's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "seven appeals" to the public. During a rally in Secunderabad, PM Modi had urged citizens to adopt certain measures to help the country navigate global economic pressures caused by international conflicts. These appeals included prioritizing work from home, reducing fuel and cooking oil consumption, avoiding foreign travel for a year, choosing indigenous products, shifting to natural farming, and limiting gold purchases, while rahul Gandhi dismissed these appeals as "evidence of failure," arguing that after 12 years in power, the government is now telling people what to buy and where to go.