Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently received an invitation from the party’s overseas unit, the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC), to visit the United States of America, Canada, and Europe. According to a Times of India report published on 26th July, a group of NRIs led by IOC convener Rajwinder Singh held a meeting with him in this regard. According to them, Rahul Gandhi’s visit aims to discuss ways to empower Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and reforms back home.
After meeting Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, Rajwinder paid obeisance at the Golden Temple where he said that apart from motivating NRIs, the Congress leader would also hold meetings with the US Democrat leaders.
He added that Rahul Gandhi would also visit Canada ahead of the Canadian Federal elections and then to Europe to hold meetings with the NRIs.
According to Rajwinder, Rahul Gandhi aims to initiate some pilot projects in Congress-ruled states in India which will also help to strengthen ties with the diaspora.
While there is no official confirmation yet whether Rahul Gandhi has accepted or declined the IOC’s invite for a foreign visit including to the United States, his last US tour in 2023 has been at the centre of a storm over the ‘secret’ meeting at the White House and/or with the officials of the Biden administration.
Incidentally, after OpIndia pointed out on 30th July 2024 that an Economic Times report written by journalist Seema Sirohi claimed that Rahul Gandhi had clandestine White House meetings during his Washington trip in 2023, Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty took to Twitter (now X) to threaten OpIndia.
He claimed that there was no “secret” White House meeting.
However, it is pertinent to note that Sirohi who had heaped praises on the Congress leader, had also mentioned in the Economic Times’ article that Rahul Gandhi had these “White House meetings which both parties involved – the Biden administration and Congress – had chosen to keep under wraps.”
The news at the time was source-based. In her report, Sirohi did not reveal how she got this information. She later appeared on Barkha Dutt’s YouTube show and confirmed her story.
However, when Congress trolls started abusing Seema Sirohi for reporting about the ‘secret’ White House meeting, Sirohi revealed that her source for the story was none other than Praveen Chakravarty, the one who yesterday threatened OpIndia for reporting about the said clandestine White House meeting.
Strikingly, on the 3rd of June 2023, Praveen Chakravarty spoke to PTI and confirmed that Rahul Gandhi had indeed met officials from the White House, and the Biden administration.
However, after expected questions and backlash were directed against Congress for the clandestine meetings, Seema Sirohi tweeted that Praveen Chakravarty had changed his mind – a whole 1 week after he gave the statements to PTI – and said that there was no White House meeting. Click here, to read in detail how the Congress leader who issued a public threat to OpIndia for highlighting gaps in various versions of Rahul Gandhi’s secret White House meeting, has tied himself in knots. Click here, to read about OpIndia’s expose on Congress leaders’ links with the US Deep State.
Nonetheless, even while denying the White House meeting, Praveen in the interaction with The News Minute admitted that Rahul Gandhi met Senators and Government officials during his USA trip, alluding to the fact that he was only contesting that Rahul Gandhi visited the White House and not the fact that he met with govt officials from the Biden administration.
