BJP Launches Scathing Attack on Rahul Gandhi Over Private Trip to Vietnam Amid National Mourning

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unleashed a blistering attack on Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of flying to Vietnam at the time of the nationwide mourning for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's demise.

The BJP's remarks were fired off by spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla in a post on X, who took aim at Gandhi's decision to travel abroad during a time when India was observing seven days of mourning. "Rahul has flown abroad to bring in the New Year even as the nation observes seven-day mourning," Poonawalla wrote.

The Congress MP Manickam Tagore countered by dismissing the BJP's concerns over Rahul's private travels, asking why the ruling party should be bothered about his decision. "Why should you be concerned about my trip?" Tagore asked in a post on X. "If Mr Gandhi travels privately, why does it bother you?"

Tagore also fired back at the BJP, accusing them of employing diversionary tactics to shift attention from their own governance issues. "When will the Sanghis stop this diversionary politics? The way Modi denied Dr Saheb a place for the cremation on the Yamuna banks and how his ministers cornered Dr Saheb's family is shameful," Tagore wrote.

Furthermore, BJP social media head Amit Malviya also weighed in, taking aim at Gandhi for politicizing Singh's death. "While the country is mourning the former PM's demise, Rahul has flown to Vietnam. Rahul politicised and exploited Singh’s death for his expedient politics but his contempt for him is unmissable," Malviya tweeted.

The spat over Gandhi's trip highlights ongoing tensions between the BJP and Congress parties with regards to their respective leaders' comments on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away recently.