BJP renews foreign-links charge against Rahul Gandhi, cites US media report
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday renewed its allegation that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is seeking to create "anarchy" in India and to weaken constitutional institutions in collusion with foreign organisations.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia cited a Fox News Digital report titled "Global Chaos Inc". He said the report identified 101 organisations across several countries, described the network as part of a "red-green ecosystem", and named two organisations — Progressive International and Indian Alliance Paris.
Mr. Bhatia alleged that attempts to bring about regime change in France and other countries through unrest were linked to protests in India. He also said a report published in a newspaper that day had "brought to light" what he called treacherous links to foreign agencies.
The BJP leader sought explanations from former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Gandhi about their meeting with a Progressive International delegation in Delhi on April 28, 2025. He alleged that Mr. Gandhi was "presenting a model of anarchy, disorder, and treachery".
The claims, as presented at the briefing, rest on the media report cited by Mr. Bhatia. The report, as described at the press conference, did not include a response from Mr. Gandhi, the Congress party, or the organisations named. No response from the Congress to Thursday's allegations figured in the material cited.
Mr. Bhatia also criticised Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut over a recent social media post concerning unrest in Albania.
The office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is a constitutional position, recognised in the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977. Its holder leads the principal opposition party in the lower House and is entitled to certain statutory facilities and a role in key appointments.
Accusations of foreign links have featured repeatedly in exchanges between the BJP and the Congress in recent years, with each side accusing the other of drawing support from abroad. Such allegations are political claims and are contested; the standards of evidence for them are a matter of public debate.
The Congress has in the past rejected similar allegations as unfounded. The party's position on Thursday's briefing was not available in the material cited by the BJP.
Political commentary in recent years has focused on the tone of exchanges between the ruling party and the Opposition, and on the space available for dissent within constitutional limits. Both sides have accused the other of undermining parliamentary norms.
The BJP's briefing is part of a wider pattern in which press conferences are used to raise allegations against political opponents, often drawing on media reports from India and abroad. Readers are advised to treat such allegations as claims made by one political party against another, pending independent verification.
The Hindu has not independently verified the contents of the Fox News Digital report cited at the briefing, or the links alleged between the organisations named and developments in India or elsewhere.
