On Friday (March 17), BJP leader Varun Gandhi took a dig at his cousin brother, Rahul Gandhi, for seeking foreign intervention in India’s internal affairs during his Cambridge University talk.
Varun Gandhi, who represents the Pilbhit constituency in Lok Sabha, informed on social media that he has turned down an invitation to speak on India’s political affairs at the University of Oxford.
“I have declined the invitation for a debate at the Oxford Union. India’s polity regularly offers us a space to critique & provide constructive suggestions to improve our policies,” he said in a tweet, posting an Indian Express report informing that he has declined the invite.
I have declined the invitation for a debate at the Oxford Union.
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) March 17, 2023
India’s polity regularly offers us a space to critique & provide constructive suggestions to improve our policies.
Subjecting India’s choices & challenges to international scrutiny, for me, is a dishonourable act. pic.twitter.com/4XsZfV9vV4
“Subjecting India’s choices & challenges to international scrutiny, for me, is a dishonourable act,” he further emphasised. The archive of the tweet can be accessed here.
Varun Gandhi was invited to speak on the motion ‘This House Believes Modi’s India is on the Right Path’, and the invite was sent to him by Matthew Dick, president of the Oxford Union. “I am pleased to extend an invitation for Mr Gandhi to speak in an upcoming debate of ours. The motion is This House Believes Modi’s India Is On The Right Path,” the invitation letter stated.
It further said, “Against the backdrop of ever-strong popularity among voters, it is imperative to discuss whether the BJP’s direction under Modi has been more polarising than unifying. The question then becomes: what (or who) is the right path for India as it forges ahead into the future?”
However, Varun Gandhi declined the invite saying that such issues should be raised “within India to Indian policymakers”. He had also said that he believed the topic was one “with a predefined conclusion”. “Such comment must be offered within India to Indian policymakers. I see no merit or integrity in vocalising internal challenges in an international forum,” he wrote in his letter to the university informing about his decision to not attend the event.
“I believe the chosen topic is not one that offers much scope for debate or dispute,” Varun Gandhi added. Talking about the topic, he said that the country has been “on the right path for development and inclusiveness”.
The development comes weeks after Congress scion Rahul Gandhi courted controversy for defaming India abroad and pleading with foreign powers to meddle in India’s internal political affairs.
Rahul Gandhi and his anti-India propaganda
While delivering a lecture to the MBA students of Cambridge University on February 28 this year, Rahul Gandhi spoke about the Hathras case, the Pulwama attack and the Pegasus row to peddle his anti-India propaganda.
While delivering a presentation, he lied that the Israeli spyware Pegasus was being used to monitor his phone. Rahul Gandhi claimed that terrorists saw him in Kashmir but could not cause harm as he was promoting the idea of non-violence and peace.
Rahul Gandhi even compared the BJY to Gandhi’s Dandi March, drawing equivalence with the freedom struggle against the British, painting himself as carrying the legacy of Gandhi (they are not related), of fighting against tyranny.
He randomly called out a Sikh man from the audience and claimed that Sikhs have been rendered second-class citizens in India by the Narendra Modi government.
Despite being well aware that the global Khalistan movement has been trying to brainwash the Sikh community, he exploited the opportunity at Cambridge University to present a distorted image of India to the world.
During an interactive session, organised by the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA), Rahul cried foul over the lack of foreign intervention to safeguard democracy in India.
