'Rahul Gandhi nahi, Rahul gaddar hain': BJP's Gaurav Bhatia alleges foreign links to protests in India

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling him a "traitor" and alleging that organisations based overseas were linked to protests in India and attempts to create political instability. Referring to what he described as a Fox News Digital investigation, Bhatia claimed that 101 organisations across nine countries had created an ecosystem aimed at destabilising elected governments through protests, chaos and anarchy. "Rahul ji Gandhi nahi hain, Rahul Gaddar hain," Bhatia said, using the Hindi word for traitor to attack the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Bhatia alleged that the activities of these organisations were connected to protests led by Gandhi and attempts to undermine constitutional institutions. He cited Indian Alliance Paris, which he described as a France-based organisation, as an example of what he claimed was foreign interference in India's internal affairs. According to Bhatia, the organisation had amplified videos of Gandhi during protests, including when he was detained by police. He alleged that such activities were part of a wider effort to create disorder under the pretext of demonstrations. "When Rahul Gandhi was creating chaos here, the protests were merely a pretext; the intention was to create disorder," Bhatia claimed while addressing a press conference. The BJP spokesperson also linked the allegations to Gandhi's criticism of electoral processes, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and his allegations of vote theft. Bhatia accused the Congress leader of attempting to weaken constitutional institutions, though he did not establish evidence for the allegations in his remarks. Bhatia further claimed that the alleged network operated across several countries and sought to bring down governments through coordinated protests and political unrest. The remarks mark another escalation in the BJP's attacks on Gandhi, who has repeatedly questioned electoral processes and accused the ruling party of undermining democratic institutions. The claims made by Bhatia about foreign organisations and their alleged links to protests in India could not be independently established from his remarks alone.