After Poll Debacle, Rahul Gandhi To Skip Parliament Session, To Fly Abroad

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will likely skip the Winter Session of Parliament, which started on December 4, as he will go on a trip to South Asian nations, according to ANI.

It comes days after the Congress suffered big defeats in the Hindi heartland - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Gandhi is likely to travel abroad on December 9. He will be visiting Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.

In Singapore and Malaysia, the former Congress President will meet the Indian diaspora. In Indonesia, he will meet diplomats and is likely to meet Vietnam Communist Party leaders, ANI said citing sources.

It means Rahul Gandhi will miss the Winter Session. Furthermore, Gandhi has been called to appear before the MP/MLA court on December 16 in relation to a 2018 case involving the use of derogatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a Bengaluru conference. However, neither Congress nor Gandhi has responded to the reports on his foreign trips.

It may be recalled that Rahul Gandhi skipped the Winter Session of Parliament in 2022.

In the recently concluded elections, the Congress, which was hoping to score a big win in Madhya Pradesh and retain Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, had to taste a resounding defeat. However, the grand old party did manage to oust the BRS from Telangana.

On the other hand, the BJP government has presented a heavy legislative agenda for the 15 sittings of the Winter Session with key bills to replace the colonial era criminal laws, a draft legislation to provide for a framework for appointment of the election commissioners.

The Opposition leaders have also sought discussion in the Parliament on issues such as the situation in Manipur, rising inflation, "misuse" of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the "imposition" of Hindi through the names of laws, particularly in reference to the three bills to replace the criminal laws.