New Delhi: BJP MP Sambit Patra has questioned the funding of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits, claiming that he may have spent nearly Rs 60 crore on overseas trips over the last 22 years.
Addressing a press conference, Patra said that Rahul Gandhi has undertaken around 54 foreign trips during his time as an elected representative. He also alleged that details of how these trips were funded are not publicly available.
He said, “On each of his foreign trips, about 3-4 people have travelled with him. The total expense of his foreign trips has been Rs 60 crore.”
Income vs alleged expenditure: BJP’s calculation
The BJP leader also presented a comparison between declared income and alleged travel expenditure. He stated that Rahul Gandhi’s income from 2013–14 to 2022–23 stands at approximately Rs 11 crore over a 10-year period.
Patra argued that this creates a major gap when compared with the alleged Rs 60 crore spent on foreign travel.
“In 10 years, Rahul Gandhi’s income was Rs 11 crore. With an income of Rs 11 crore, Rahul Gandhi has spent Rs 60 crore,” he said adding that the estimate was worked out across three travel scenarios, a ‘saint-like’ frugal journey, a middle-tier standard, and a premium five-star Rahul Gandhi style of travel. He then claimed the final figure was derived using the middle-tier benchmark.
He also claimed that on each foreign trip, Rahul Gandhi is accompanied by around 3 to 4 people, which further increases the total cost of travel.
Who funded the trips?
A major focus of the BJP’s allegations is the source of funding. Patra questioned whether the expenses were covered personally by Rahul Gandhi, by government resources, or by external entities. He demanded clarification as different funding sources may have legal implications.
“If there is foreign funding, then provisions under FCRA apply. If it is personal funding, then it must be declared under income tax laws,” Patra stated.
Timeline of income figures shared in the allegations
The BJP leader also cited year-wise income data to highlight fluctuations in Rahul Gandhi’s declared earnings. According to the figures presented:
- 2014–15: Income Rs 86 lakh; foreign travel expenses Rs 4.5 crore (about 5.2 times income)
- 2017–18: Income Rs 1.20 crore; foreign travel expenses Rs 6 crore
- 2018–19: Income Rs 1.22 crore; foreign travel expenses Rs 3.9 crore
- 2019–20: Income Rs 1.29 crore; foreign travel expenses Rs 4.6 crore
- 2021–22: Income Rs 1.03 crore; foreign travel expenses Rs 2.6 crore
These figures were used by the BJP to argue that travel expenses were consistently higher than declared income in multiple years.
In a sarcastic remark, he also pointed to the sharp rise in Rahul Gandhi’s declared income and assets, which he claimed stood at Rs 58.38 lakh in 2004 and has since grown into crores.
He framed the increase as unsurprising, suggesting it naturally follows from belonging to a “strong political background,” delivering the comment in a pointedly satirical tone.
