KATHMANDU, May 3: A video doing the rounds on Twitter which shows Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi partying at a nightclub in Kathmandu has triggered a fresh spat between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian Congress in Nepal’s southern neighbor.
Several BJP leaders on Tuesday shared the video on Twitter and slammed the Congress leadership amid communal clashes in Rajasthan where the party is in power.
“Rahul Gandhi was at a nightclub when Mumbai was under siege. He is at a nightclub at a time when his party is exploding. He is consistent,” BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya tweeted. “Interestingly, soon after the Congress refused to outsource their presidency, hit jobs have begun on their Prime Ministerial candidate,” he wrote further.
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Rahul landed in Kathmandu on Monday evening to attend a marriage ceremony of his friend, former CNN Correspondent Sumnima Udas. Rahul had received an invitation from the Udas family to attend the marriage function.
In the night, Rahul along with his friends had visited a nightclub, Lord of the Drinks, in Thamel, Kathmandu’s major tourist hub.
The video came a day after Congress took to Twitter from its official handle taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over various issues including the power crisis in the country. Several BJP leaders retweeted the video, taking the opportunity to make mockery of Gandhi and weaken his political standing by the time Congress was able to make a statement to counter the allegations.
Hitting back over the BJP’s barbs, Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala clarified that Rahul had visited Nepal to attend a marriage ceremony and that it is not a crime to attend marriage celebrations. “Rahul Gandhi went to a friendly country Nepal to participate in a private marriage function of a friend who also happens to be a journalist. Last I checked, having family and friends and attending marriage ceremonies is a matter of our culture and civilization,” he tweeted.
