The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly criticised the Congress party, saying that Congress is linked to what it calls “anti-India” forces abroad. This criticism came after Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Germany, where he took part in meetings with international groups, including the Global Progressive Alliance.  

According to the BJP, the Congress party has openly admitted its participation in the Global Progressive Alliance (GPA) — a global group of political parties — and this, the BJP claims, shows that the Congress is aligned with forces that work against India’s interests.  

At the centre of this controversy are remarks made by Sam Pitroda, a senior leader of the Congress and a long-time adviser to the Gandhi family, who spoke publicly about Congress’s connection with the Global Progressive Alliance. The BJP is using his comments to argue that Congress has foreign alignments that could harm India’s national interest.  

During a statement released on Saturday, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi directly targeted Congress and Rahul Gandhi over the Germany trip, "Rahul Gandhi’s long-time advisor, Sam Pitroda, who was also an advisor to his late father and the architect of his ideological mindset and psychology, has inadvertently exposed the real face of the Congress party,” the BJP leader said.  

Trivedi claimed that Pitroda’s remarks proved that Congress is part of the Global Progressive Alliance, and that Rahul Gandhi attended its meetings in Germany. The BJP leader stated that this alliance is connected with organisations which, according to the BJP, spread narratives that are “anti-India.”  

Trivedi asked, “When Sam Pitroda is asked about the connection between the Global Progressive Alliance and the Congress, he himself reveals that Rahul Gandhi is on its praesidium and Sam Pitroda is a member. After Sam Pitroda’s statement, I want to ask the Congress party if they become a member of the anti-India global conspiracy, if they become a member of the nefarious nexus of anti-India global forces.”  

The BJP also posted a video clip of Pitroda talking about the alliance and said that this confirmed Rahul Gandhi’s engagement with groups linked to George Soros, a US-based businessman and philanthropist. According to the BJP’s statement, “a foreign-funded ideological ecosystem, operating under the banner of ‘progressivism’, is openly influencing Indian politics.”  

The BJP’s latest attack brings back earlier charges that the Congress and Rahul Gandhi are connected with global networks associated with George Soros. BJP leaders have alleged that these networks promote ideas that run counter to India’s national image and interests. These claims refer to remarks by BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia earlier this year, when he accused Gandhi of working with foreign forces to weaken the country.  

Trivedi repeated this theme, asking why Rahul Gandhi would be engaging with a group that the BJP calls “anti-India,” and called on Gandhi to explain his overseas engagements. He said, “The question is no longer whether these links exist, but why they are being accepted so casually. When will Rahul Gandhi answer these questions?”  

Rahul Gandhi was in Germany recently, where he visited the BMW headquarters in Munich and also spoke about India’s manufacturing sector. During public engagements, he said that “manufacturing is the backbone of strong economies” and claimed that India needs to increase production and create more jobs.  

These statements were made as part of Rahul Gandhi’s messages on economic and democratic issues while abroad. While he spoke about matters like India’s manufacturing and democratic institutions, the BJP interpreted his comments as harmful to the country’s image internationally, claiming they were anti-India in nature.