Rahul Gandhi (File photo)
NEW DELHI: The ruling BJP on Wednesday labelled Congress MP Rahul Gandhi ‘Videsh Nayak’ and ‘leader of paryatan’ ahead of his upcoming visit to Germany from December 15 to 20.Also Read | ‘Vote chori biggest anti-national act’: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha during SIR debate; slams RSSBJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla — a former Congress member — also highlighted that the trip will coincide with the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, which began on December 1 and is scheduled to conclude on December 19.“Once again, Videsh Nayak is doing what he does best — going on a foreign tour! Parliament is on till 19th Dec, but Rahul Gandhi will visit Germany from Dec 15–20! Rahul is LoP — leader of paryatan. During the Bihar elections too he was abroad and then on a Jungle Safari,” Poonawalla wrote on X. While ‘Videsh Nayak’ (leader of foreign visits) plays on “Jannayak” (leader of the masses), a title the Congress uses for Gandhi, ‘leader of paryatan’ (tourism) is a jab at his LoP initials — leader of opposition, a post he has held since June last year – and also references his frequent foreign trips.Also Read | ‘Govt doesn’t want us to meet’: Rahul Gandhi’s big charge amid Putin’s India visit; cites Vajpayee–Manmohan eraThe Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) announced on Monday that Gandhi will visit Germany. A day later, the IOC said that on December 17, the former Congress president will meet German lawmakers and members of the Indian community in Berlin, the European nation’s capital and largest city. During his overseas visits — first as an MP and now in his official capacity as leader of the opposition — the Raebareli MP has repeatedly raised concerns about what he describes as the ‘weakening’ of India’s democracy and the ‘capture’ of its institutions by the BJP. Also Read | After hosting Putin, PM Modi to welcome Germany’s Merz; Chancellor to visit India in JanuaryIn September, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which provides him security, flagged repeated ‘lapses’ by Gandhi in following security protocols — including intentionally skipping mandatory protective measures on multiple occasions despite being a Z+ protectee with an Advance Security Liaison (ASL) team.
