Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday claimed the Congress cannot digest Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting not just the PM but the entire country during his foreign visits.
Talking to reporters here, Information and Broadcasting Minister Thakur said India signifies hope and growth for the world.
"Australian PM says Modi is the boss while Italian PM says Modi is the world's most loved leader. Other world leaders respect Modi's leadership. The Congress cannot digest this and speaks in sponsored programmes, first in the UK and now USA," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
"Anti-India slogans are raised and Rahul Gandhi is the chief guest at such programmes," Thakur said referring to Gandhi's criticism of PM Modi.
Notably, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last month showered praise on PM Modi, referring to him as the "most loved leader around the world".
Australian PM Anthony Albanese recently described Narendra Modi as "the boss" and said his Indian counterpart was accorded a welcome that even American rock star Bruce Springsteen did not get while performing at the same venue in Sydney in 2017.
Prime Minister Modi was accorded a rousing welcome by thousands of Indians across Australia at a diaspora event at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, one of the biggest indoor stadiums in Australia.
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday targeted Modi, saying there are people in India who think they know more than God and "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one such specimen".
Speaking at the 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' event organised by Indian Overseas Congress USA in Santa Clara in California, Gandhi said these people are "absolutely convinced" that they know everything and can explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army.
Later, BJP leaders launched an all-out attack on the former Congress president for his swipe at Modi and his dispensation, with Thakur claiming that Gandhi goes abroad on "sponsored programmes" for "anti-India propaganda" to insult the country on foreign soil.
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