Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday, 27 July called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's overseas visits, alleging a lack of transparency over the Congress leader's foreign travel spanning more than two decades. The demand came as Opposition MPs staged a protest at Makar Dwar of Parliament over police action during the Jantar Mantar demonstration against the alleged NEET paper leak.

The Opposition Protest

Opposition members gathered outside Parliament's Makar Dwar carrying banners and demanding accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police crackdown on students who had been protesting the alleged NEET paper leak and related examination irregularities. The demonstration underscored the deepening standoff between the ruling coalition and the Opposition over the handling of student agitation at Jantar Mantar.

Dubey's Allegations Against Rahul Gandhi

Responding sharply to the Opposition protest, Dubey redirected scrutiny toward Gandhi, alleging opacity around the Congress leader's foreign engagements. 'It is Rahul Gandhi who should be held accountable. No one knows about all the foreign trips he has undertaken from 2004 to 2026. He goes abroad, whom he meets, what he does, what kind of movement he talks about, and what funding he talks about. How were Soros' people present on his trip? What happened between Congress and China in 2008? No one knows it to date. This is not transparency,' Dubey told reporters.

The BJP MP further argued that the LoP carries a constitutional weight equivalent to a senior national representative when travelling abroad. 'He is the Leader of Opposition, and when the LoP embarks on a foreign visit, he has to act like a de facto Prime Minister; he has to tell people about India's policies. However, whenever Rahul Gandhi has visited foreign nations, he has always spoken against India, the government and the Constitution,' Dubey said.

SIT Demand and Removal Proposal

Dubey escalated his attack by announcing that the BJP would explore avenues to seek Gandhi's removal from the post of Leader of Opposition. He also urged the government to constitute an SIT to scrutinise Gandhi's foreign visits. 'We will plan on proposing how to remove Rahul Gandhi from the post of LoP. I would urge the government to form an SIT to investigate his foreign visits. I would surely make efforts for this,' he added.

Notably, demands for SIT probes targeting Opposition figures have become a recurring feature of parliamentary sessions, though such proposals have rarely advanced beyond the announcement stage.

Broader Political Context

The BJP MP further alleged that the Opposition protest was designed, in his view, to deflect attention from what he described as 'involvement in activities detrimental to the country's interests.' He characterised Gandhi as a 'puppet of foreign powers' — claims the Congress has consistently denied and which remain unsubstantiated by any official investigation. This is not the first time BJP leaders have raised questions about Gandhi's foreign interactions; similar allegations have surfaced repeatedly since 2023, particularly around his visits to the United Kingdom and the United States.

As Parliament's monsoon session intensifies, the exchange signals that the political temperature between the ruling coalition and the Opposition is set to remain elevated in the days ahead.