NEW DELHI, October 22 (Aalimi Nation) – Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Thursday alleged that opposition-led protests have foreign backing and questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's contacts with overseas organisations. The Congress had not responded to the allegations at the time of reporting, and the claims have not been independently verified.
The remarks came amid opposition protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raising concerns over irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told a press conference that a foreign media investigation had identified 101 organisations operating across nine countries, including France, and linked them to protests there and in India. He described Gandhi's conduct as "irresponsible and immature" and used strong language against the Congress leader, asking whether he now needed help from "agencies and organisations that are anti-India".
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, in a post on X, cited a report titled "Global Chaos Inc Grows To 101 Groups". He said it showed that Progressive International was coordinating common protest messaging in France, Albania and India. He claimed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had met representatives of the group at 10 Janpath, and said the Congress should clarify its links.
A Congress social media post cited by Bhatia documented a meeting between party leaders and Progressive International representatives in 2025. The sources reviewed give the date of that meeting differently, as April 10 and April 28.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey questioned Gandhi's alleged links with US lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Ro Khanna. He also raised concerns about foreign funding, cryptocurrency and online gambling, and said some people were "working together with foreign powers to not change the regime, but to break the country". Dubey did not present independently verified evidence for his statements.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur claimed that some opposition leaders had foreign backing and that "toolkits" guided their messaging. "Opposition leaders have nothing to say about India, so they speak against the country," he said.
No response from Rahul Gandhi or the Congress to the specific allegations was available. The opposition has said its protests are aimed at the conduct of the Election Commission and the electoral roll revision, and the INDIA bloc has been planning further demonstrations on the issue, and Bhandari referred to a protest planned for November 1.
Political exchanges over alleged foreign influence have recurred in Indian politics, with the ruling party and the opposition frequently trading accusations. The investigation cited by the BJP is a foreign media report, and its findings about links between protests in different countries have not been confirmed by Indian authorities. No government agency has announced any inquiry into the claims.
The Congress is expected to be asked to respond to the allegations, including the questions about its leaders' meetings with the international group. The opposition is likely to continue its campaign over the Chief Election Commissioner and the electoral roll revision in the coming weeks, and political attacks from both sides are expected to continue ahead of the protest Bhandari referred to for November 1.
