File photo: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday stepped up its attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by posting a series of allegations regarding his foreign trips over the past 22 years, claiming there was a huge mismatch between his declared income and expenditure on foreign trips.In a series of posts on Twitter, the BJP claimed that Rahul made “54 traceable foreign trips” to destinations including London, New York, Italy, Germany, Qatar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Maldives and Dubai, while also describing it as a “secret Oman trip”.The ruling party alleged that the total estimated cost of these trips was around Rs 60 crore, which included first class travel, private charter, five-star hotels, entry expenses and security arrangements.The BJP further claimed that the former Congress president’s declared income in the last decade was around Rs 11 crore.The party said a Southeast Asia trip in 2015 reportedly cost Rs 4.5 crore, which it claimed was “5.2 times” its annual declared income for that year.‘Who paid for your globetrotting?’, BJP further questioned Gandhi.

BJP raised questions on FCRA, tax and disclosures

In a series of detailed posts, the BJP questioned the source of funds behind Rahul’s foreign trip and alleged possible violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and income tax laws.The party claimed that no public records exist showing approval from the Union Home Ministry under Section 6 of the FCRA, which mandates MPs and political functionaries to seek prior permission before accepting foreign hospitality.BJP said in one of its posts, “Foreign sources footing the bill for an Indian opposition leader at a sensitive time? This is a serious violation of the FCRA.”The party also alleged that there was no reflection of travel expenses in the Congress MP’s income tax returns, Lokpal declarations or asset disclosures, questioning the absence of bank statements, foreign exchange records and expenditure details.The BJP further cited a CRPF communication dated September 10, 2025, alleging that many of Rahul’s foreign trips were carried out without disclosure of mandatory security protocols. The party has linked the issue to Gandhi’s recent visit to Oman earlier this month.

BJP leaders demanded clarification

On Friday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had described the allegations as “very serious” and urged the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha to disclose details of his foreign trips to the concerned authorities.“My request to Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party is to please follow the rules and provide the requisite information to the authorities,” Rijiju told reporters.He said MPs are required to inform the home and external affairs ministries as well as the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha secretariat about foreign tours, especially when foreign hospitality is involved.Rijiju also cited Section 6 of the FCRA Act, which said there are provisions for punishment if foreign hospitality is accepted without informing the authorities.

Congress rejected the allegations

Earlier, Congress had rejected BJP’s allegations as politically motivated. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the saffron party was trying to divert attention from the economic and foreign policy issues facing the country.Meanwhile, Congress shared an AI-generated video of PM Modi and raised questions on his foreign travel expenses.Another Congress leader Manickam Tagore accused the BJP of running a “humiliating campaign” instead of addressing unemployment, inflation and border concerns.