Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday countered the BJP’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi over his upcoming visit to Germany, questioning why the party was raising objections to the Leader of Opposition’s travel plans when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spends what she described as “almost half of his working time outside the country”.
Her remarks came after the BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi for scheduling a foreign trip between 15-20 December while the Winter Session of Parliament is underway until 19 December.
According to the Indian Overseas Congress, Rahul Gandhi will engage with the Indian diaspora and meet German ministers during his visit.
The trip will be led by Indian Overseas Congress Chairperson Sam Pitroda, with IO Congress Germany president Balwinder Singh confirming the details.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla mocked the Congress leader in a post on X, stating that his designation as LoP stood for “leader of Paryatan”.
He added, “Once again, Videsh Nayak is doing what he does best! Going for a foreign tour! Parliament is on till Dec 19 but reports suggest Rahul Gandhi to visit Germany from Dec 15-20! Rahul is LoP leader of paryatan.”
He also recalled that “during Bihar elections, too, he was abroad and then went to a jungle safari.”
Responding to these remarks, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Modi ji spends almost half of his working time outside the country... Why are they raising questions on the leader of opposition (in Lok Sabha) travelling?”
The Congress amplified its rebuttal by releasing a detailed list of Prime Minister Modi’s international trips, claiming that many of them coincided with Parliament sessions and periods of domestic crisis.
The list was shared on the party’s official X handle with the caption “Sansad Chale Desh Mein, Modi Chale Videsh Mein”.
Congress spokesperson and social media department head Supriya Shrinate cited figures claiming that Modi has undertaken 94 international trips and that 85 per cent of these occurred during Parliament sessions.
She listed several instances, including the PM’s visit to Nepal in August 2014 during the Monsoon Session, trips to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka in March 2015 during the Budget Session, and a visit to France from 30 November to 1 December during the Winter Session.
She also noted his November 2015 visit to the United Kingdom during the Winter Session, trips to Belgium, the USA and Saudi Arabia from 3 March to 3 April in 2016 during the Budget Session, and visits to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa in July 2018 during the Monsoon Session.
Shrinate added that during the Budget Session in 2019 Modi visited Japan from 27 to 29 June, and during the Budget Session in February 2020 he travelled to the USA from 24 to 25 February.
She further listed his February 2025 visit to France and the USA during the Budget Session, his March 2025 trip to Mauritius during the Budget Session, and his July 2025 visit to the United Kingdom and the Maldives during the Monsoon Session.
The Congress leader also highlighted what she described as foreign travel during critical national moments.
She said that during the Pulwama attack in February 2019 Modi continued shooting a documentary at Corbett despite learning of the incident in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed and later travelled to South Korea.
She said that during the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown in March 2020 Modi attended the Australia-India Business Forum in Sydney from 22 to 24 February despite the first COVID case in India being reported in January.
She added that during the escalation of violence in Manipur from May 2023 to April 2024 Modi made 14 international trips including to the US, France, UAE, UK and Greece but did not visit Manipur until September 2025 for two hours.
Shrinate also said that during the wrestlers’ protest and the Balasore train tragedy in June 2023 Modi travelled to the United States on what she claimed was the most expensive single trip costing over Rs 22 crore.
She added that during the Pahalgam terror attack in May 2025 the PM was in Saudi Arabia and after returning to India went to Bihar for an election programme instead of visiting Jammu and Kashmir.
She also said that during the Delhi terror attack in November 2025 he travelled to Bhutan to celebrate the King’s birthday from 11 to 12 November.
Reacting to the Congress’ list, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the opposition party should not compare the PM’s official overseas engagements with Rahul Gandhi’s meetings with what he described as “strange, unknown, invisible and suspicious individuals” during his personal trips.
“There is a clear difference between the prime minister’s official foreign visit on duty and Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visit on vacation,” he said. He added, “I want to ask the Congress about the real game. What actually happens during such foreign visits?”
BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha alleged that the itinerary of Rahul Gandhi’s “official or unofficial” foreign trips is not shared publicly.
At a news conference at the BJP headquarters, he said Rahul was the “leader of paryatan” and “leader of partying”.
He added that the Congress leader “does not appear to be the LoP the way he embarks on foreign visits by skipping important occasions in the country”.
