Rahul Gandhi-Donald Lu meeting: Is the US-India friendship cracking?
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi recently visited the US. In addition to the Indian diaspora, he met with the top diplomats of the country, including American legislators and businessmen. In particular, the leaders of India’s ruling party are firing on his meeting with the representative of the US Congress, Ilhan Omar. According to Indian diplomatic sources, Rahul Gandhi also held a meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu, which has been heavily criticized in Indian government circles.
BJP leaders lashed out at Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi after his meeting with US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya has also accused the Congress of anti-national conspiracy.
Ilhan Omar is disliked by many nationalist leaders in India. He has previously appeared against India; Especially on the Kashmir issue. BJP has accused Ilhan of making anti-Indian statements several times.
Ilhan Omar also protested against India’s amended Citizenship Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Besides, on a visit to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, he commented that the region is ‘Azad Kashmir’. The ruling BJP did not take well to Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with the US lawmaker during his foreign visit.
In a post on social media platform X, the head of BJP’s IT cell described Ilhan Omar as an anti-India voice, a radical Islamist and a proponent of independent Kashmir.
He said that the country’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi met Ilhan Omar in the United States. Omar is known to be pro-Pakistani and anti-India. He is a staunch supporter of Azad Kashmir. Is the Congress openly involved in anti-India activities?
Another BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also criticized Rahul Gandhi. Highlighting Ilhan’s many anti-Indian activities, he said, ‘After spreading hatred against Sikhs and belittling India on foreign soil, now Rahul Gandhi met anti-Indian Ilhan Omar. The question is why Rahul meets anti-India conspirators on every foreign visit. Has the Congress started anti-nationalism by opposing the BJP?
Rahul Gandhi met several US legislators in Washington DC. Photo: Collected
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said that Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with pro-Pakistani Ilhan Omar in the US proves that he supports the pro-Pakistanists. He alleged that the Congress was compromising India’s national security by supporting anti-India elements.
Rahul Gandhi’s three-day visit to the US included meetings with the Indian diaspora, businessmen and US lawmakers living in the country, as well as several programs. It is known that he met several US legislators in Washington DC. Among them are Congressmen Jonathan Jackson, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamurthy, Barbara Lee, Sri Thanadar, Jesus G. ‘Chui’ Garcia, Ilhan Omar, Hank Johnson and Jan Schakowsky.
Citing several related sources, the news agency ANI said in a report that the former president of the Congress also met with the country’s Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu and Congresswoman Pramila Jaipal during his visit to the United States.
According to sources, the meeting took place in Washington DC on September 9, on the eve of Lu’s visit to India and Bangladesh. Besides, he also held meetings with Pramila Jaipal and officials of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee.
According to NDTV, this was Rahul Gandhi’s first visit to the US after becoming the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are keen to tap the support of the powerful Indian-American diaspora. And for this reason, many people think that the visit of the top leader of the Congress to the United States is very important.
Meanwhile, India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that any foreign country can comment on Indian politics. We have no problem with that.
He made this comment at an exchange meeting with the Indian community in Switzerland on Friday (September 13). In response to a question about the meeting of a foreign diplomat with the country’s opposition leader, Jaishankar said without naming anyone.
We have no problem if a diplomat of any country comments on our politics. But I think they should be ready to listen to our comments about their politics as well.
Many people think that Jaishankar said this about Rahul Gandhi’s recent meeting with Donald Lu and Ilhan Omar. Next November 5 presidential election of the United States. Millions of Indian communities live in the country. Many believe that Indian voters have a great influence in the US presidential election. The foreign minister of India may have made this comment with reference to that.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fell in the face of the mass movement of Bangladesh students last August. There are rumors that foreign powers, including the United States, are involved in this political change. In addition, in April 2022, former Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence vote in another South Asian country, Pakistan. Imran Khan has been complaining since the ouster that the US is behind his removal. And US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu is rumored to be involved in a conspiracy to oust Imran Khan. However, Donald Lu strongly denied the allegations.
