The BJP on Thursday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should disclose details of his visits abroad and that it was a matter of public interest as he was a public representative.
It also questioned his “frequent” foreign visits and the “secrecy” about those, asking if he was involved in some secret operation.
Party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao speaking to the press at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi said that Mr. Gandhi had travelled abroad on 16 occasions in the last five years, which was more than the number of his visits to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, which used to be his Lok Sabha constituency.
“This is also one of the reasons the people of Amethi rejected him (Gandhi). Of the 16 visits (abroad), on nine occasions, the destination was not known. Why was it not revealed? Was he involved in some secret operation?” he asked.
Mr. Rao then cited a letter written by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi on July 3 to inform the members of Parliament about the norms for them.
Mr. Joshi in his letter had informed MPs that they should, in advance, inform Parliament of their foreign visits, even if those were purely for private purposes, he said.
Mr. Rao also claimed that the Lok Sabha secretariat had not received any information from Mr. Gandhi about his foreign visits.
Taking a dig at the former Congress chief, Mr. Rao said the entire world came to India for meditation but he was travelling abroad frequently.
Pointing out that foreign tours were an expensive affair, Mr. Rao raised questions on who footed the bill for Mr. Gandhi’s visits abroad, including for air tickets, staying in five-star hotels and other such expenses.
