Rahul Gandhi’s Pune event: BJP questions funding, Congress hits back

On the eve of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's student outreach programme, Chhatron Ki Goonj in Pune, Maharashtra, BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban launched a series of five pointed questions regarding the event's funding. Ban's claims questioned whether the students were being paid between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 per head and who was responsible for the financial support. The allegations came as Congress's Pune unit reported that over 30,000 students had registered online for the event.

Ban alleged that the outlay for the event would be approximately Rs 9 to Rs 10 crore and suggested that the source of the funds might be foreign. He further questioned if the money could be traced back to transactions or commissions by contractors in Congress-ruled states, such as Karnataka and Kerala.

In response, a Congress spokesperson dismissed the BJP's allegations, asserting that they were an attempt to look jittery in the face of the huge response to Rahul Gandhi's Pune event. The spokesperson further claimed that the BJP was developing cold feet.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut criticized the conditions imposed during Rahul Gandhi's visit, alleging that the BJP was misusing the police. Raut brought up the numerous restrictions placed on the visit, including noise pollution limits, drone usage bans, and prohibitions on offensive banners. He pointed out that such conditions were not imposed when other BJP leaders visited, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Raut also mentioned that ABVP members had engaged in hooliganism at COEP hostel campus but filed no cases against them.

The Sena MP claimed that the police had filed an FIR against NSUI members but had yet to register his own. He vowed to file a cross-complaint against the police and accused them of favoritism towards the BJP.