• Source:JND

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went all guns blazing at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thurday with BJP MP Sambit Patra raising questions over LoP Lok Sabha’s foreign tours and the money spent on them. During a press conference in Delhi, Sambit Patra highlighted the massive gap between Rahul Gandhi’s declared income and the alleged money spent during his trips abroad. He further questioned the source of this money.

60 Cr Spent On Foreign Tours

Presenting data, Sambit Patra alleged that Rahul Gandhi went on a total of 54 private trips. These trips, which did not include official visits, saw a spending of Rs 60 crore.

Mentioning Rahul Gandhi's election affidavits, Sambit Patra said that based on the income details declared by him in Form 26 affidavits from assessment years 2013-14 to 2022-23, his total declared income over 10 years was Rs 11 crore. This raises the question - how was Rs 60 crore spent on foreign trips when his income was Rs 11 crore?

The BJP MP also pointed out that Rahul Gandhi has been an elected representative for the past 22 years. According to information available in the public domain, during this period he has made a total of 54 foreign trips to countries such as Italy, the UK, the US, Germany, Vietnam, Singapore, Bahrain, the Maldives, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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Patra presented these figures:

-2014-15, Rahul Gandhi reportedly spent Rs 4.5 crore on private trips.

-2017-18, Rahul Gandhi’s earning was Rs 1.20 crore but spendings reached Rs 6 crore on trips.

-2019-20, Rahul Gandhi earned Rs 1.39 crore and spent Rs 4.6 crore on foreign visits.

-2018-19, Rahul Gandhi earned Rs 1.22 crore, spent Rs 3.9 crore on foreign tours.

-2021-22, Rahul Gandhi earned Rs 1.03 crore but spending jumped to Rs 2.6 crore on trips.

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Visits On Record, But Funding Details Hidden

During the press conference, Patra emphasised that most of Rahul Gandhi's foreign trips are on record and not hidden from anyone. There is solid evidence for these trips, including public host pages, press events, records of absence from Parliament, and photographs.

Patra further said, “My main point is that even though all these trips were undertaken publicly, the funding behind them and its route have not been made public till date.”


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