Paromita Das
New Delhi, 9th September: Politics in Bharat has often been described as a game of resilience, grit, and unrelenting public engagement. Yet, for Rahul Gandhi, it increasingly appears to be more of a side gig than a calling. His recently concluded Voter Rights Yatra in Bihar was supposed to bring focus to the pressing issues of democracy and representation. Instead, it ended up highlighting a familiar pattern: controversy, chaos, cancellation—and then a quick foreign holiday. This time, it was Malaysia.
From Yatra to Vacation: The Familiar Cycle
As the yatra wound down, its message was quickly overshadowed by a series of controversies—most notably the abusive remarks about Prime Minister Modi’s mother that cropped up during the march. The planned concluding meeting of the yatra was cancelled amid further turmoil. And almost on cue, Rahul Gandhi slipped into vacation mode, with pictures surfacing from Langkawi, Malaysia.
For critics, this was not merely poor timing—it was symptomatic. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya summed it up sharply on X (formerly Twitter): “Rahul Gandhi has once again secretly gone abroad… Seems like he is not able to bear the heat and dust of Bihar politics.” Social media was equally brutal, pointing out the irony of a leader vacationing while parts of North Bharat reeled under devastating floods.
Rahul Gandhi has slipped away yet again—this time on a clandestine vacation in Langkawi, Malaysia.
Looks like the heat and dust of Bihar’s politics was too much for the Congress Yuvraj, who had to rush off for a break. Or is it another one of those secret meetings that no one is… pic.twitter.com/NdiA4TP2bT
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 6, 2025
A Part-Time Politician?
The Malaysia trip reignited the old taunt: is Rahul Gandhi just a part-time politician? His movements almost seem scripted—arrive for a campaign, raise slogans, attract some headlines, and then promptly vanish overseas. It paints a picture of politics as an “assignment” rather than a mission, a checkbox to tick before catching the next flight.
This is not a one-off. Whether it was trips to the US, Italy, or Bangkok, Rahul Gandhi’s frequent foreign escapes have invited suspicion and ridicule. Each absence has left his party scrambling, his rivals emboldened, and his leadership credentials further eroded.
The History of Disappearing Acts
The Malaysia episode fits seamlessly into a larger pattern. In April 2022, when speculation swirled around Prashant Kishor’s possible entry into Congress, Rahul Gandhi was missing abroad. When Kishor refused to join, Gandhi again vanished for 10 days, even as his party floundered in crisis.
In December 2021, after Congress was humiliated in five state assembly elections, Gandhi was in Italy, leaving Punjab campaign plans in limbo. The Aam Aadmi Party seized that vacuum and scripted its landslide victory, while Congress slipped further into irrelevance.
Go back further, and the timeline remains consistent. In September 2021, when Punjab politics imploded with Captain Amarinder Singh’s resignation, Gandhi was in Shimla. In December 2020, while Congress celebrated its 136th foundation day, he was in Italy again. In October 2019, barely weeks before the Haryana and Maharashtra elections, he was holidaying in Bangkok.
And of course, right after the 2019 Lok Sabha debacle, instead of rallying his demoralized party, Gandhi jetted off to London. He even skipped a crucial meeting called by Sonia Gandhi herself.
Security Concerns and Political Optics
Rahul Gandhi’s trips have also raised serious security questions. By often ditching SPG protection on foreign visits, he flouted protocols to the point where his elite security cover was withdrawn. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had even flagged these concerns in Parliament. For a leader of his stature, this mix of secrecy and recklessness only deepens doubts.
The Zakir Naik Angle
The controversy around Malaysia was further fuelled by speculation of a possible meeting with Zakir Naik, the Islamic preacher wanted in Bharat who has found refuge in Malaysia. While no proof exists, the mere perception of such a link is politically toxic. In a climate where optics matter as much as substance, Rahul Gandhi’s timing and choice of destination played directly into his opponents’ narrative.
A Career That Refuses to Mature
At this point, it is hard not to see a pattern of indifference bordering on mockery. Rahul Gandhi’s inability—or unwillingness—to stay grounded during critical junctures has given his critics ample ammunition. His defenders argue that he represents a different, globalized vision of politics. But politics in Bharat is not an occasional seminar—it is a 24/7 battlefield.
A leader who repeatedly abandons his post during storms, both political and literal, sends a message of unreliability. The Congress, already in decline, cannot afford this vacuum. And the Bharatiya public, grappling with floods, unemployment, and inflation, hardly finds solace in images of their would-be leader sipping coconut water on a foreign beach.
Political Tourism Has Its Limits
The saga of Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Rights Yatra ending in Malaysia once again reinforces a bitter truth: political tourism cannot replace real leadership. In a country that demands resilience, his vanishing acts underscore the image of a leader still trapped in indecision, entitlement, and escapism. Until Rahul Gandhi chooses to treat politics as a full-time responsibility rather than a seasonal excursion, his career will remain a case study in squandered potential.
For now, every new trip abroad only strengthens the BJP’s caricature of him: a leader more committed to boarding passes than to ballots.
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