Delhi: Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Tuesday defended Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Vietnam, stating that the trip was a “pre-planned event.” This comes in the wake of criticism over Gandhi’s absence during the national mourning period following the death of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Tiwari responded to the controversy by highlighting that millions of people had witnessed Rahul Gandhi’s emotional reaction to the passing of Dr. Singh. “Crores of people saw the tears in Rahul Gandhi’s eyes upon hearing the news of Manmohan Singh’s demise,” Tiwari emphasized, underscoring the Congress leader’s emotional connection to the late Prime Minister.
Earlier, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla had criticized Gandhi’s Vietnam visit, suggesting that the Leader of Opposition’s absence during this time of national mourning was inappropriate. Poonawalla sarcastically remarked that for Rahul Gandhi, the term “LoP” (Leader of Opposition) seemingly stood for “Leader of Partying.”
