Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday diverged the question regarding Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's Germany tour amid the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament and turned it over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits.
"PM Modi spends almost half his working time outside the country. Why are they (BJP) raising questions on the Leader of Opposition travelling?" Priyanka Gandhi said while talking to the reporters. According to recent media reports, Rahul Gandhi is likely to travel to Germany, where he plans to meet members of the Indian diaspora as well as German government ministers.
The timing of the visit has sparked a political debate over his role as the LoP while Parliament is in session. Earlier, CPI(M) MP Amraram on Wednesday said that it is the responsibility of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) to be present during Parliament sessions.
When asked about the possible reason behind Gandhi's overseas visit, CPI(M) MP Amraram told IANS, "Only he might know why he is leaving during the session. I believe it is the duty of the Leader of the Opposition to be present here whenever Parliament is in session."
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi over his foreign travels, alleging that he is frequently abroad when Parliament is in session. "Gandhi later claims that he didn't get a chance to speak in Parliament. However, in reality, he is often absent," Joshi said, calling him "a part-time, non-serious political leader".
Taking his criticism further, the Union Minister added, "Let him go. He is mostly abroad whenever Parliament is in session. Later, he claims he doesn't get a chance to speak, but the truth is, he isn't even here... He is a part-time, non-serious political leader."
With the Winter Session of Parliament scheduled to continue until December 19, the proposed timing of Gandhi's visit has raised fresh questions about his commitment to parliamentary responsibilities as the Leader of the Opposition. Gandhi has previously voiced concern over the government's alleged discouragement of foreign dignitaries from meeting him in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition.
However, the government countered that decisions about meetings with dignitaries lie solely with the visiting delegations, not with Indian authorities, and points to recent instances where Gandhi did meet visiting foreign leaders.