‘I’m not a travel agent’:Tharoor on Rahul’s foreign trip, says everyone has their own responsibilities; BJP claims he went to Vietnam

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, when asked about Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trip, said, “I am not a travel agent. There is no point in asking me this question. Everyone has certain responsibilities. Therefore, I cannot comment on this.” Tharoor’s statement came after the BJP criticised Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trip. The BJP has alleged that, after tiring himself out by telling lies during protests in Delhi, Rahul went to Vietnam to take a holiday. BJP posted video of Rahul Gandhi on a flight three days ago The BJP has claimed that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, has flown to Vietnam. The party posted a video filmed inside an aircraft on the social media platform X. The footage shows a man whom the BJP has identified as Gandhi. The party captioned it: “I’m tired of spreading lies. I’ll go visit Vietnam for a few days, who knows what.” However, neither the identity of the person in the video nor the flight’s destination could be independently verified. Congress says Rahul Gandhi meets students and intellectuals abroad Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit hit back at the BJP’s allegations, questioning why Rahul Gandhi’s whereabouts and the timing of his travel were being made an issue. He pointed out that other people also travel abroad. Dikshit defended Gandhi’s foreign trips, saying he engages with students at Yale University and in London, meets intellectuals and gives interviews to the press. He also raised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own travels, saying Modi had broken the tradition of not travelling abroad during parliamentary sessions, yet no questions were asked at the time. Previous controversies over Gandhi’s foreign trips 1. February to April 2015: leave of about 56 days during the budget session
Gandhi went on leave in February 2015, at the start of Parliament’s budget session, and returned on 16 April. Congress had by then suffered defeats in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and the Delhi Assembly election. 2. September 2015: US trip before Bihar elections
In September 2015, Gandhi attended a conference in Aspen, USA. The BJP alleged that he had been sent abroad to keep him away from campaigning for the Bihar Assembly elections. Congress rejected this and said he would continue to lead the campaign. Amid the claims about his leave, Gandhi shared a picture from the Aspen conference. 3. December 2024: Vietnam visit after Manmohan Singh’s death
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh died on 26 December 2024. On 30 December, the BJP alleged that Gandhi had gone to Vietnam to celebrate the New Year during the period of mourning. 4. March 2025: BJP questions Vietnam trip during Holi
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that Gandhi was in Vietnam during Holi. He said Gandhi had also visited Vietnam for the New Year and had reportedly spent about 22 days there. Congress alleged that Gandhi visits Vietnam to study its economic model. 5. December 2025: Germany visit during winter session
The BJP questioned Gandhi’s planned visit to Germany from 15 to 20 December 2025, when he was due to attend an Indian Overseas Congress event in Berlin. The BJP said the winter session of Parliament was scheduled to run until 19 December, so the Leader of the Opposition should remain in the country. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra defended her brother, citing Modi’s foreign trips. 6. January 2026: Vietnam visit and “Leader of Partying and Tourism” jibe
Gandhi also visited Vietnam in January this year. Daksh, a 20-year-old Indian travel vlogger, claimed to have met him at Hanoi airport and shared photographs of the two, along with a video of them walking together. The BJP taunted Gandhi, calling him the “Leader of Partying and Tourism” instead of the “Leader of the Opposition”. 7. March 2026: Amit Shah raises foreign trips in Parliament
In March 2026, Home Minister Amit Shah questioned Gandhi’s attendance and participation in debates in the Lok Sabha. Shah said Gandhi was in Germany during the 2017 winter session, in Vietnam during the 2025 budget session and in the UK during the 2023 budget session. He also cited visits to Singapore and Malaysia during the 2018 budget session. Shah added that in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018, Gandhi had not taken part in the debate on the President’s address, nor spoken in the debate on the budget or any bill. He made the remarks in Parliament.