Whenever political scene in India heats up, one expects the Leader of Opposition to be at the forefront leading the attack on the government. Well one expects, in India, PM Narendra Modi’s government is blessed with an opponent who goes missing whenever there is a crucial political battle ahead.
Monsoon session of the Parliament is less than two weeks away, and the LoP is nowhere to be seen. Forget national politics, Congress is disintegrating in Punjab which is going to polls next year, a crucial border state, and Congress scion Rahul Gandhi is nowhere to be seen. How does this party run, one wonders.
A fresh round of speculations have now emerged over the whereabouts of Rahul Gandhi, with the Congress leader remaining absent from public view for several days. There has been no social media activity from Rahul Gandhi either for the past few days. While there is no official confirmation that he is abroad (again), the lack of communication from the Congress party has raised questions ahead of Parliament’s upcoming Monsoon Session.
One of the primary reasons behind the speculation is inactivity from Rahul Gandhi’s official X (formerly Twitter) account. At the time of this report, no post has been made from Rahul Gandhi’s account since July 2, leaving the account inactive for nearly five days, something unheard of in modern politics. Rahul Gandhi has also not been seen attending any public event during this period.
Although the Congress party recently released a video featuring Rahul Gandhi, the clip was not shared from his personal social media accounts. This has led some political observers to speculate that the video may have been pre-recorded. However, there is no official confirmation to support such claims.
Further adding to the speculation are reports regarding a Congress event in Prayagraj titled “Chhatron Ki Goonj.” According to media reports, the program was originally scheduled for July 10 but has now been postponed to July 19.
The postponement has triggered questions in political circles. Some are asking whether the event was delayed because Rahul Gandhi is currently not in India. However, neither the Congress party nor Rahul Gandhi have publicly linked the rescheduling of the event to his availability.
Interestingly, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya claimed in a post on June 23 that Rahul Gandhi had left for a foreign visit. If that claim was accurate, it would mean Rahul Gandhi has been outside India for nearly two weeks. However, it is important to note that the Congress party has neither confirmed nor denied these claims, and there has been no official statement regarding Rahul Gandhi’s travel plans.
This absence of official information has once again brought attention to Rahul Gandhi’s travel history. His political opponents have often accused him of travelling abroad around the time Parliament sessions begin, saying that he frequently returns with fresh political campaigns targeting the government. The Congress party has consistently rejected political criticism of his travels, maintaining that personal travel is not unusual.
The timing of Rahul Gandhi’s absence at this point of time raises the age old question, is Rahul Gandhi even serious about politics? Congress in Punjab, a state set to go for elections soon, is disintegrating. The factionalism among Punjab Congress is there for all to see. Then there is the Monsoon Session of Parliament, but the man/youth leader leading Congress has gone missing. How is that even the act of a serious politician, people wonder.
Until an official statement is issued, discussions regarding Rahul Gandhi’s whereabouts will remain based on speculation rather than verified facts. For the country’s Leader of Opposition, political transparency on such matters is increasingly becoming part of the larger public conversation.
