Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP, was referred to by the ruling BJP on Wednesday as "Videsh Nayak" and "leader of paryatan" in advance of his planned December 15-20 travel to Germany.
The trip will take place during the current Winter Session of Parliament, which started on December 1 and is set to end on December 19, according to BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, a former member of the Congress.
"Videsh Nayak is once again doing what he does best: embarking on an international tour! Rahul Gandhi will be in Germany from December 15-20, but Parliament is in session until December 19.
Rahul is the leader of Paryatan, or LoP. He was overseas and on a Jungle Safari during the Bihar polls as well, Poonawalla wrote on X.
While "Jannayak" (leader of the masses), a title the Congress uses for Gandhi, is parodied by "Videsh Nayak" (leader of foreign visits), "leader of paryatan" (tourism) is a play on his LoP initials leader of opposition, a position he has held since June of last year and also alludes to his frequent travels abroad.
Gandhi's trip to Germany was announced on Monday by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC). A day later, the IOC announced that the former Congress president would meet with German legislators and Indian community members in Berlin, the capital and largest city of the European country, on December 17.
The Raebareli MP has frequently voiced concerns about what he sees as the "weakening" of India's democracy and the "capture" of its institutions by the BJP on his travels abroad, first as an MP and now in his official role as opposition leader.
Even though Gandhi is a Z+ protectee with an Advance Security Liaison (ASL) team, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which provides him with security, identified several "lapses" in Gandhi's adherence to security protocols in September, including his repeated deliberate omission of required protective measures.
