Rahul Gandhi meets anti-India American lawmaker Ilhan Omar in Washington DC
- In Reports
- 12:05 PM, Sep 11, 2024
- Myind Staff
During his visit to the United States, Lok Sabha leader of the opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with several US lawmakers at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, hosted by Congressman Bradley James Sherman. Notable attendees included US Congress members Ilhan Omar, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Barbara Lee, among others.
Ilhan Omar represents Minnesota's 5th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives, which includes Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs. She began her term in January 2019, making history as the first African refugee to join Congress, the first woman of colour to represent Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to the US Congress.
Ilhan Omar has been vocal in her criticism of India on multiple occasions. Recently, during diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, she advocated for full US support of Canada's investigation into India's alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In June 2022, Omar introduced a resolution in the US Congress condemning India for purported human rights abuses, especially against religious minorities like Muslims. She also urged the US State Department to designate India as a 'Country of Particular Concern'.
In April 2022, Ilhan Omar called for a review of the US security alliance with India in the Indo-Pacific region and voted against a 2019 bill aimed at reducing the waiting period for Indians seeking permanent residency or Green Cards. She also opposed the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam in October 2019.
During her April 2022 visit to Pakistan, Omar met with Shahbaz Sharif and Imran Khan, and later travelled to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India strongly condemned her visit to PoK, labelling it as 'narrow-minded politics'. Two months after this visit, Omar introduced a resolution in Congress condemning India, and a subsequent report revealed that her visit was sponsored by the Pakistani government.
The BJP slammed Rahul Gandhi during the meeting. "After spewing venom against Sikhs & running down India on foreign soil now Rahul Gandhi meets & engages with anti-India Ilhan Omar - 1) Ilhan had introduced anti-India resolutions in US Congress 2) She has been against abrogation of Art 370 3) She violated India’s sovereignty & visited PoK on a trip sponsored by Pakistan 4) She met Imran Khan & other such elements to discuss “Islamophobia” in India 5) She has been instrumental in peddling hatred against Hindus," said BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala.
The BJP leader said, "Why did Rahul Gandhi have to meet her? Why is he engaging with the most radical anti-India elements on every foreign trip? In BJP virodh - desh virodh is ok?"
Additionally, on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi made a big claim that China occupies Indian territory equivalent in size to Delhi. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his handling of the border issue with China, suggesting that it has been poorly managed.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington DC in the US, on Tuesday (local time), Rahul Gandhi said, “If you recall having Chinese troops in 4,000 square kilometres of our territory handling something well, then maybe we have got Chinese troops occupying land the size of Delhi in Ladakh. I think that's a disaster."
Alleging that the media doesn’t like to write about the development, Rahul Gandhi added, “How would America react if a neighbour occupied 4000 square kilometres of your territory? Would any president be able to get away with saying that he's handled that well? So I don't think PM Modi handled China well at all. I think there's no reason Chinese troops should be sitting in our territory.”
Several of Rahul Gandhi's comments on manufacturing in China and India's reservation policy have drawn sharp criticism from political opponents. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA and the non-INDIA bloc Opposition, including Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, have condemned his remarks made during his visit to the US.
Image source: PTI
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