New Delhi : In his first visit abroad as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit the United States from September 8 to 10, with the Indian Overseas Congress saying that it has been “bombarded with requests” to meet the Congress leader since he took over the post in the Lower House of Parliament.
Gandhi will be in Dallas, Texas on September 8 and Washington DC on September 9 and 10.
Gandhi will meet academics, journalists, representatives of think tanks, technocrats, businessmen and other people from the Indian diaspora and local community during his visit.
“Since Mr Rahul Gandhi has become the Leader of Opposition, I as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress with presence in 32 countries have been bombarded with requests from Indian diaspora, diplomats, academicians, businessmen, leaders, international media for interactions with Mr Rahul Gandhi. Now, he is coming to the US for a very brief visit,” Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda said, making the formal announcement.
In Dallas, Gandhi will address a gathering of students, academicians and people from the community at the University of Texas. He will also meet some technocrats and have dinner with leaders from Dallas.
In Washington, he will interact with think tanks and the National Press Club, among others.
“There are a lot of events planned with a variety of people because people also have interest in the states we (Congress) run. Especially Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and hopefully if we win Maharashtra there is an interest in Mumbai, Pune, and Gurgaon. These are really the business cities of the country with a focus on technology. There is interest from business and technology community as well,” said Pitroda.
The visit also gains significance because of the upcoming US presidential elections with Vice-President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris being up against her Republican rival and former President Donald Trump.
In May 2023, Gandhi went on a six-day, three-city tour of the United States where he interacted with the NRI community, business leaders and media persons. He had a range of such engagements in San Francisco, Washington DC and New York. During the visit, he spoke on the future of Indian democracy, freedom of speech, and sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
