The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday launched and all-out attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi as he embarked upon a 12-day Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday launched and an attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi with regards to his statements on China as he embarked upon a 12-day Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra held a press conference to show a montage of Rahul's recent statements comparing India and China and his stand on the Doka La issue. Patra alleged that during the Doka La standoff, Rahul went to meet the Chinese ambassador with family during midnight. He alleged that when the news came in media, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala at first denied it terming the reports as fake but the party had to accept it later. Calling the Congress chief "Chinese Gandhi", Patra claimed that Rahul did not take Indian authorities into confidence before meeting Chinese officials.

Rahul Gandhi and China : Addiction, obsession or something else? pic.twitter.com/tXDe2i8Ch2 — BJP (@BJP4India) August 31, 2018

Patra alleged that Rahul goes on foreign visits and represents himself as a "Chinese spokesperson" and even though he confessed in Germany on his latest visit that he had "no knowledge about the Doka La issue", he continues to speak on it in India and had even called it "Dhoka La".

Patra further alleged that Rahul has a "soft-corner" for China and thus wants to get its perspective on everything including issues related to India and its economy. Citing Rahul's tweet on 31 December, 2017, Patra claimed that instead of keeping in mind India's perspective and focusing on the employment figures provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament, Rahul chose to compare India's job creation figures with China.

He alleged that even during a meeting with tech entrepreneurs earlier in 2018, Rahul had proclaimed his "love for China" by telling the entrepreneurs to "make sure that they do not annoy the Chinese by only accepting funding from American Venture Capitalist (VC) firms".

Talking on Rahul's visit to the Himalayan pilgrimage, Patra said that as Rahul flew to Nepal's Kathmandu from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, a Chinese envoy came to escort him. According to reports, Rahul is going to go to the shrine of Lord Shiva through the Chinese route. "We would like to ask the Congress party that which politicians is Rahul Gandhi going to meet in China and what discussion will he have with them?" Patra remarked.

However, the Congress has hit back on BJP by clarifying that Rahul is on a "personal visit" to the pilgrimage. Senior Congress Ashok Gehlot slammed the BJP for "playing politics" even as Rahul, for his faith in Lord Shiva, is on a "holy journey".

BJP's criticism of #RahulGandhi ji's #KailashMansarovarYatra is totally misplaced n inappropriate. Rahul ji is going on a pilgrimage n for worshiping #LordShiva, it is a holy journey, but BJP is playing politics. — Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 31, 2018