Overview
- On Friday, BJP figures including Amit Malviya and Gaurav Bhatia condemned Sonia Gandhi and the Congress for presenting the 2024 Indira Gandhi Prize to Michelle Bachelet, calling the choice anti‑India.
- Bachelet, as UN human rights chief, publicly raised concerns over post‑2019 restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir and her office sought to intervene in a Supreme Court case challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act.
- The award is administered by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust chaired by Sonia Gandhi, and Bachelet is listed as the 37th recipient.
- BJP leaders also criticized the event for the presence of Jagdish Tytler and cited Bachelet’s past remarks on Assam’s NRC to question Congress’s motives.
- Critics questioned the selection process and highlighted that the prize jury includes former NSA Shivshankar Menon, with some online claims presented as opinion rather than independently verified findings.