The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its criticism of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after a website named ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ claimed to have fact-checked statements made by him during events linked to his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign. The website said it reviewed 40 statements delivered by Gandhi across four separate programmes and classified 29 as “false” and 11 as “misleading”. The Congress campaign has focused on issues surrounding educational reforms and concerns raised by students.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari used the findings to target Gandhi, accusing him of misleading young people for political purposes. Bhandari described ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ as a campaign launched by young people to challenge what he characterised as false claims made by the Congress leader. He argued that while Gandhi could continue his political outreach, young people were increasingly examining and challenging the claims made during his public programmes.

Bhandari also referred to the website’s review of all 40 statements, maintaining that young people were sharing its findings online. Another BJP national spokesperson, Prem Shukla, backed the website’s conclusions and argued that it had examined Gandhi’s claims individually. He characterised the platform as an effort to respond to the Congress leader’s statements with what it described as factual information. The BJP’s criticism has added another layer to the ongoing political contest between the ruling party and the Congress over youth and education-related issues.

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The Congress has rejected the BJP’s characterisation of the website, alleging that it was created as a political instrument against Gandhi. The party’s Karnataka unit has also filed a police complaint against the website and two other social media handles, according to a post cited by the platform. The competing claims have turned the fact-checking exercise itself into a political issue, with both sides presenting sharply different interpretations of the website’s purpose and findings.

The controversy comes amid Gandhi’s ongoing ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ outreach programme, which has sought to engage students and young people on issues affecting education and their future prospects. Congress leader Pawan Khera had earlier referred to the campaign’s arrival in Delhi and claimed it had generated political concern even before its message had fully reached the city. Gandhi’s Pune edition of the programme focused particularly on girl students and the welfare of young women.

The dispute reflects the increasingly confrontational nature of political communication in which speeches, claims and their subsequent verification have become part of broader partisan campaigns. While the BJP has used the findings attributed to ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ to question Gandhi’s credibility, the Congress has challenged the platform’s political neutrality. The allegations and counter-allegations are likely to remain part of the wider political debate surrounding Gandhi’s student outreach and the opposition’s criticism of the Centre’s education policies.

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