BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of defaming India at Bharat Summit, alleges Soros link

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of defaming India before an international audience, a day after he told the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad that democracy was destroyed in the country in 2014. BJP leader CR Kesavan called it “Bharat Badnaam Summit”. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Gandhi sought regime change "with foreign help".Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, made the remarks on Saturday at the valedictory session of the summit, hosted by the Telangana government.

“The Congress party-sponsored Bharat summit was in reality Bharat Badnaam Summit – where Rahul Gandhi and his cronies badmouthed our nation and our democracy in the most foul manner," wrote CR Keshav.

BJP leaders also questioned the presence of certain foreign guests, citing alleged links to billionaire George Soros. Congress has not been reported to have responded directly to the Soros allegation. Telangana BJP chief N Ramachandra Rao criticised the state government for spending public money on what he called a "political summit".

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What did Gandhi say?

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi attacked the ruling BJP, accusing some of its leaders of behaving like "fascists". He said that the opposition was in “shock” and failed to grasp the change in the political landscape post-2014. He also claimed that the country was “no longer a democracy.”

"Fascists tend to have a louder voice. Historically, fascists emerge when systems collapse. When everything is working, they go into hiding. But when systems and structures collapse, they suddenly emerge, create a nuisance for a little while, and then disappear again," said Gandhi.

On electoral rolls, he claimed that 140 million people who voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha election were later declared non-existent voters or non-voters.