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BJP Targets Rahul Gandhi For Vietnam Visit; Modi’s Photo Found With Lemon and Coconuts
Rahul Gandhi’s reported Vietnam trip sparked a political dispute between the BJP and Congress amid protests over voter-list revisions.
Rahul Gandhi’s Foreign Trip Controversy and PM Modi Photo Investigation
Two separate incidents became political talking points in India in October 2026. Rahul Gandhi’s reported foreign trip triggered a dispute between the BJP and Congress, while police in Uttar Pradesh investigated a viral video showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph surrounded by objects associated with an alleged occult ritual.
Rahul Gandhi’s Reported Vietnam Trip Sparks Political Row
On 12 October 2026, Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders protested against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. They raised concerns about alleged irregularities and submitted a petition over the issue.
On 19 October, Gandhi participated in the Congress’s Goa Bachao Yatra. Later, the BJP shared a video on X that it claimed showed him travelling in a business-class aircraft cabin on his way to Vietnam. The party criticised him for reportedly travelling abroad while opposition protests were taking place.
The Congress defended Gandhi, saying that he had personal responsibilities alongside his political work. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit also argued that Gandhi’s foreign visits could include meetings with students and intellectuals.
On 21 October, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was asked about Gandhi’s reported trip. He replied, “I am not a travel agent.”
The controversy continued the following day when Maharashtra BJP MLA Parinay Fuke made allegations about Gandhi’s personal life and claimed that he had travelled to Vietnam to meet his alleged wife and son. These personal allegations have not been independently verified and should not be treated as established facts.
Earlier Rumours About Rahul Gandhi’s Personal Life
Rumours about Rahul Gandhi’s personal life have circulated on social media and in political discussions for years.
In 2016, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy speculated about Gandhi’s possible marriage. In 2018, rumours linked Gandhi to Congress MLA Aditi Singh, who described him as an elder brother.
In 2019, false online claims alleged that WikiLeaks had revealed a secret marriage involving Gandhi. Other rumours circulated in 2024 about his personal relationships and children shown in a photograph. The photograph was reportedly misrepresented; the children were from another family and had received a helicopter ride from Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022. Gandhi’s overseas visits have also been criticised by BJP leaders in the past. Home Minister Amit Shah has contrasted his own connection to India with Gandhi’s foreign travel.
The latest dispute has once again placed the political debate over Gandhi’s travel schedule in the spotlight.
PM Modi’s Photograph Found With Suspected Ritual Items in Uttar Pradesh
In a separate incident, a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was found near a cremation ground in the Dohrighat area of Mau district, Uttar Pradesh. The incident came to public attention after photographs and a video circulated on social media around 23 October.
The material showed Modi’s photograph surrounded by objects including lemons, coconuts, red sacred thread and vermilion. Some reports described the arrangement as appearing to be associated with an occult ritual. Local BJP district president Ramashray Maurya complained to the police and demanded action.
Police registered a case against unidentified persons and began investigating the incident. Officers examined CCTV footage from the area and worked with the cyber cell to establish who placed the photograph and who circulated the video online.
Police Make Arrests as Investigation Continues
Initial reports said that four suspects had been detained for questioning by 25 October. By 26 October, subsequent reports said five men had been arrested in connection with the case.
Police were investigating the individuals’ alleged roles and the circumstances surrounding the incident. The motive had not been established in the reports available at the time. The two incidents are separate developments, but both became subjects of public and political discussion during the fourth week of October.