Rahul Gandhi to travel to US ahead of PM Modi’s White House visit; check details here  

Congress leader and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi will embark on a 10-day long visit to the US on May 31. His itinerary comprises a rally of non-resident Indians (NRIs) in New York’s Madison Square Garden and panel discussion and speech at Stanford University. He will also meet politicians and entrepreneurs as a part of his visit to the States.  

The former Wayanad MP’s tour comes weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit on June 22. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Modi at a state dinner at the White House during the course of this visit.  

In March this year, Rahul Gandhi was in the news for his remarks at the UK’s Cambridge University. Gandhi had said at the time that Indian democracy is “under pressure and under attack”.  

Rahul Gandhi said: “Everybody knows and it’s been in the news a lot that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack. I am an Opposition leader in India, we are navigating that space”.  

He further noted in his address that the framework needed for a functioning Parliament, free press and the judiciary as well as mobilization and moving around are all “getting constrained”. Commenting on the decline in manufacturing in democracies like India and the US in recent years, he said the shift of production to China led to mass inequality and anger which needed urgent attention and dialogue.  

He added the US became less open after 9/11 attacks whereas China “idolizes harmony” through its organisation around the Chinese Communist Party. His remarks led to a controversy back home. The ruling BJP demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi. BJP national president JP Nadda alleged that Rahul Gandhi is a “permanent part of the anti-India toolkit”.  

The Parliament session back home witnessed a logjam due to Gandhi’s remarks. While the BJP sought an apology from Rahul Gandhi over Gandhi’s remarks at the Cambridge University about Indian democracy, the Congress sought the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe Hindenburg Research’s allegations against the Adani Group.  

This, however, is not the only time when Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trips came under public scrutiny. In April this year, former Congress leader and Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also claimed in an interview that Rahul Gandhi meets “undesirable businessmen” on his foreign visits.   

Azad said in an interview with a news outlet: “The entire family has associations with businessmen, including him [Rahul]. I can give 10 examples of where he would go, even outside the country, to meet people who are undesirable businessmen”. The former Union minister was replying to Rahul Gandhi’s claim that all former Congress leaders who left the party had some links with the Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani.  

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as the Member of Parliament on April 11 following his conviction in a defamation case.  

(With agency inputs) 

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