This is an archive article published on August 18, 2023

No meeting between US delegation and Rahul; Cong says visiting team sought MEA’s nod

According to sources, the US Congressional delegation was invited by the MEA and it was not being coordinated by the US embassy.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

4 min readNew DelhiAug 18, 2023 08:38 AM IST First published on: Aug 18, 2023 at 02:56 AM IST

A visiting US Congressional delegation led by Indian American lawmaker Ro Khanna met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, but a proposed meeting between the delegation and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not materialise.

The Congress confirmed having received a message from some of the delegates seeking a meeting with Rahul. “Some of the members of the delegation wanted to have a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and they contacted his office. Some of them spoke to me personally. Then they said they have to ask the MEA. I told them that you are all elected Congressmen… you are in India, you are free to meet whoever… but if you want to speak to MEA it is between you and MEA. If you want a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, put in a formal request… we will try and schedule a meeting,” Congress data analytics department head Praveen Chakravarty told The Indian Express.

According to sources, the US Congressional delegation was invited by the MEA and it was not being coordinated by the US embassy.

Ro Khanna with PM Modi on Wednesday. PTI

While there was no official word from the MEA, sources said they had scheduled the meetings after consultation with the visiting delegation, and it included meetings with Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great grandson, actor Amitabh Bachchan and Anupam Kher among others. But there were no meetings with Opposition leaders, said the sources.

An email to Khanna’s office on the proposed meeting with Rahul remains unanswered.

Tushar Gandhi, who met Khanna in Mumbai, posted on X, “I briefed him (Khanna) about situation in India, the nation’s plunge into an abyss of hate, divisiveness & violence. He I believe wanted to meet the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi who he says is his inspiration.”

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi fires salvos at PM Modi from Wayanad: ‘BJP destroyed Manipur, Congress will rebuild it’

“…Ro met with PM & Union Ministers, they thwarted his meeting Rahul Gandhi but he met (former JNU student leader) Umer Khalid’s father & representatives from violence ravaged Manipur,” Gandhi added.

Khanna, a four-term Congressman representing Silicon Valley in the House of Representatives, met Modi and Jaishankar on Wednesday. He and the delegation also attended the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on Tuesday.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi takes on BJP’s nationalism pitch with symbolism, imagery, and tales of yatra

During his trips to New Delhi and Mumbai, he met leaders of civic society, Bollywood superstars and the Opposition leaders.

Khanna and US Congressman Michael Waltz, a Republican, led a bipartisan Congressional Member Delegation to India in their capacity as co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

Earlier this year, Khanna and Waltz hosted a US-India Summit in the Capitol Hill featuring panels and remarks from government leaders, experts, and Indian American leaders from across the country.

Also Read | Express View on Rahul Gandhi in Parliament: Dil se, dimaag se

“I was honoured to visit Raj Ghat on India’s Independence Day to pay my respects to Mahatma Gandhi, one of the world’s greatest leaders. I also had the chance to lead our delegation at the Red Fort,” Khanna posted on X.

“Glad to receive a Congressional delegation from the US, including co-chairs of India Caucus in the House of Representatives, Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep Michael Waltz,” PM Modi posted on X. He said strong bipartisan support from the US Congress was instrumental in further elevating India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

“A good interaction with the US Congressional delegation today. Glad they could join as we celebrated Independence Day. Discussed the transformation underway in India, especially its outcomes of better governance,” Jaishankar posted on X.