National Desk, 16 May: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and a former member of the Wayanad Parliament will travel to US on May 31 for ten days. During this time, he will hold a rally in Madison Square Garden in New York for about 5,000 NRIs and take part in a panel discussion in Washington.
Additionally, Gandhi will also give a speech at Stanford University in California. He also plans to meet with businesspeople and legislators.
The US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state dinner at the White House on June 22 as part of his official state visit to the US.
It is important to note how Gandhi made headlines upon his return from London following his remarks at Cambridge University, which were critical of the administration and shed light on Indian democracy.
Rahul Gandhi made three speeches in March of this year: one at Cambridge University, one at the Association of Journalists convention in London and one at the Chatham House think tank in London.
“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 (Opposition) space,” he said.
“The institutional framework which is required for a democratic Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation, moving around all are getting constrained. So, we are facing an attack on the basic structure of Indian democracy,” he had added.
The BJP which is in power was offended by Gandhi’s comments and sought an apology. He made a number of statements in the UK that sparked debate in India. JP Nadda, the party’s leader increased the BJP’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi by saying that he is a “permanent part of the anti-India toolkit.”