The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a fresh attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following reports that he has traveled to Vietnam for New Year's celebrations. The BJP claims that Gandhi left the country to party while the nation mourns the death of former Prime Minister and Congress veteran Dr. Manmohan Singh. In response, Congress MP B Manickam Tagore has questioned why Gandhi's private travel is a matter of concern for the ruling party.
This political spat comes amid an already tense environment surrounding the cremation of Dr. Singh. The Congress has accused the BJP of disrespecting the former Prime Minister by conducting the cremation at Nigambodh Ghat, rather than at a more prestigious location. The BJP has denied these allegations, stating that Dr. Singh was given a state funeral, and all due honors were provided by the Narendra Modi government.
Rahul Gandhi’s trip gave the BJP a new opportunity to target the Leader of the Opposition. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla stated, "The country is in mourning. The government has announced seven days of national mourning. As expected from Rahul Gandhi, we have learned that he has gone abroad for tourism and to party. This is similar to when, after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, he was reported to have partied all night. Today, he shows no respect for Dr. Manmohan Singh's memory."
Poonawalla referred to reports from 2008 when Rahul Gandhi was alleged to have attended a late-night celebration at a farmhouse following the Mumbai terror attacks.
Congress MP B Manickam Tagore dismissed the BJP’s criticisms, calling it "diversion politics." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, "When will the Sanghis stop this 'Take Diversion' politics? The way Modi denied Dr. Saheb a place for cremation on the Yamuna banks and how his ministers cornered Dr. Saheb's family is shameful. If Mr. Gandhi travels privately, why does it bother you? Get well in the New Year."
Congress leader Tariq Anwar defended Gandhi’s trip, stating that it had been planned in advance. "He paid his tribute to Dr. Singh and was present during the proceedings," Anwar told news agency IANS.
Further stoking the controversy, Poonawalla also criticized Congress for its alleged absence during the immersion of Dr. Singh's ashes in the Yamuna. "No senior Congress leaders, especially from the Gandhi family, were present. If anyone disrespected Dr. Singh, it was Congress itself," he said.
In response, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera explained that the party deliberately chose to give Dr. Singh’s family privacy during the ashes immersion. Khera stated, "It was felt that since the family did not get privacy during the cremation, and some extended family members couldn’t reach the site, it was appropriate to give them privacy during the Phool Chunana and the emotionally difficult ashes immersion ceremony."