Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has departed for a vacation in Langkawi, Malaysia, just after concluding his intense “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar, prompting incisive criticism from the BJP. Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, mocked the Congress Gandhi Flees to Langkawi Amid Campaign Heat, tweeting that the “heat and dust” of Bihar’s politics had driven Gandhi off for a break and questioning whether the trip concealed another secret meeting. He added that as people grapple with real issues, Gandhi is “perfecting the art of disappearing and vacationing.”
Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had just wrapped up a 16-day “Voter Adhikar Yatra” across Bihar, during which they traversed approximately 1,300 km, covering 25 districts and reaching around 110 assembly constituencies. The march concluded on 1 September with a rally in Patna that showcased opposition cohesion and grassroots energy.
BJP leaders have long criticised Gandhi for foreign trips amid key domestic political moments. Earlier this year, his visits to Vietnam and other countries during Parliament sessions were branded “clandestine” and raised national security concerns, with BJP leaders arguing that such trips lacked transparency.
Supporters of the INDIA bloc, however, view the Yatra as a strategic move, injecting momentum into Congress’s Bihar campaign, enhancing Tejashwi Yadav’s stature, and reinforcing unity among opposition parties. It has proven especially significant given Congress’s long struggle to make rural electoral inroads in Bihar.
Critics from the ruling NDA, meanwhile, accuse the Yatra of overstepping norms—highlighting an alleged derogatory remark about the late mother of Prime Minister Modi—as proof that it crossed the limits of political decorum. BJP figures have also dismissed the campaign as political theatre, accusing Gandhi of undermining cultural sensibilities with symbolic actions, such as wearing socks in a makhana pond.
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