Rahul Gandhi likely to visit US in September; will meet students and diaspora: Report

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit United States of America (USA) in September where he is expected to meet Indian diaspora, students and lawmakers, according to reports. This will be Rahul Gandhi's first trip abroad as since he became the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha.

During the stay in the US, likely for 8-9 days, Gandhi will be in Washington DC, Texas, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Chicago, according to a report in the Print quoting sources in the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC). The visit comes at a time when the campaign for the US presidential elections is at its peak.

“He (Rahul) is scheduled to address the diaspora during his stay. Like his previous visits to the USA and the United Kingdom, he will also hold interactions with students in prestigious universities. In Washington, he will have meetings with lawmakers of the US Congress and the Senate as well,” the Print report quoted a Congress leader familiar with the plans as saying.

Gandhi was in the USA in June 2023, when he held interactions at the University of Santa Clara and Stanford University. He also had interactions with entrepreneurs and techies at Silicon Valley, before heading to Washington DC to address a press conference at the National Press Club.

Prior to that, Gandhi was in the United Kingdom in February-March 2023 where he addressed the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School, the Indian Journalists’ Association, and the Chatham House think-tank.

The upcoming visit has been planned after requests from members of the diaspora who campaigned for the Congress in Lok Sabha elections 2024 and also participated in Bharat Jodo Yatra, the report said.

The rise in the party’s Lok Sabha tally to 99 — the highest in a decade — and Gandhi’s subsequent appointment as LoP has piqued their interest