On Friday, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi targeted the central government over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India. He said that the Ministry of External Affairs is confused about this visit. Rahul Gandhi claimed that Ministry of External Affairs officials are confused about what is happening.
In a post on ‘X’, Rahul Gandhi wrote that Mr. Rubio has called his staff to Mumbai. Addressing the Prime Minister, he said, “Modi ji, your officials in the Ministry of External Affairs are confused about what is happening.” Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi, saying, “You might want to explain. Of course, if you want me to explain, that’s a different matter.”
Rahul Gandhi’s comments come at a time when US Secretary of State Rubio is scheduled to visit India and is expected to meet Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, in Mumbai. A day earlier, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had also criticized the government over Rubio’s visit. He questioned why the US Ambassador, rather than the Ministry of External Affairs, was providing information about the Foreign Minister’s schedule in India.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor had stated that Rubio would meet with Indian government officials during his visit to Mumbai, and that the US expected Jaishankar to be present. Jairam Ramesh questioned the Ministry of External Affairs’ silence on this comment. According to the schedule announced by the US State Department, Rubio will visit Uzbekistan and India from October 17 to 22. He will return to India after participating in the C5+1 ministerial meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and will visit Mumbai and Jamnagar, Gujarat.