Freedom to celebrate in one’s own way: Udit Raj defends Rahul’s foreign visit during Holi

New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) With Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) making derisive taunts at Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits to Vietnam, his second to the country this year, Congress leader Udit Raj came forward to defend his ‘choice’ as Holi destination.  

Multiple reports said that Rahul was touring Vietnam, when the nation celebrated the festival of colours, prompting the BJP to seek answers for his repeated visits there. 

“He is spending more time in Vietnam than in his constituency,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked in a sharp dig at the Congress MP.  

Notably, his first visit to the country was during the seven-day national mourning period of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.  

Udit Raj, speaking to IANS on the issue brushed aside the ‘absurd’ objections and questions on Rahul’s foreign visits and said that it was well within everyone’s rights to take decisions for himself. Cong leader, apparently irked at questions on LoP’s repeated foreign visits, lashed out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning latter’s ability to handle international issues with finesse.

"Rahul Gandhi is not like PM Modi. When Donald Trump said that BRICS is dead, all BRICS countries, including India, were nervous. If a learned person like Rahul Gandhi had been there, would Trump have dared to say this? He has his own way of leadership," he stated.

Udit Raj countered criticism and defended Rahul's decision to travel abroad. 

"If he stays in India, will the whole country come to meet him? Does the entire nation line up to meet any leader?" he questioned.

In his zeal to defend the LoP, the Congress leader compared his foreign travels to PM Modi's diplomatic visits, stating, "PM Modi has met Xi Jinping 18 times. Rahul Gandhi does not travel abroad as much as PM Modi does. When there is so much work to be done in the country, why is PM Modi more visible on foreign trips?"

On Rahul Gandhi's absence from the country during Holi festival, Udit Raj dismissed concerns, saying, "How does it affect the politics of the country? Everyone celebrates Holi with their loved ones. If Rahul Gandhi had been here, would the entire nation have come to greet him?"

"During festivals, everyone has the freedom to celebrate in their own way. Rahul Gandhi wants to celebrate Holi in his own way; how is that related to politics? It is his personal decision," he added.