Sam Pitroda, chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, shared details about Gandhi’s upcoming tour.”Since Rahul Gandhi has become the leader of opposition, I, as chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, which has a presence in 32 countries, (have) been bombarded with requests from the Indian diaspora, diplomats, academicians, businesspersons, leaders, international media and many others, for interactions with him,” Pitroda said in a video statement.
Gandhi’s visit will begin in Dallas on September 8, where he will engage with students at the University of Texas, academic institutions, and members of the local Indian community. “We will have a very large community gathering. We will meet some technocrats and then we will have dinner with leaders from the Dallas area,” Pitroda added.
On September 9 and 10, Gandhi will be in Washington DC, where he is expected to participate in similar interactions. Pitroda noted that there is an interest in Gandhi’s visit, especially from those involved with states currently governed by the Congress party. “There are a lot of events planned with a variety of people because we find that people also have a lot of interest in the states we run with a Congress government,” Pitroda said.
Pitroda expressed confidence in the success of Gandhi’s visit and the eagerness of the Indian diaspora to interact with the Congress leader. “We look forward to a very successful visit,” he added.
This visit comes after Gandhi’s last trip to the US in May 2023, where he interacted with over a thousand members of Silicon Valley, discussing the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and his vision for India’s future. The upcoming visit was reportedly planned in response to requests from diaspora members who campaigned for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.