Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi to visit US next week for two fireside chats at Columbia and Chicago Universities on student movements and geopolitics. (Img: X)
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will have fireside chats at the Columbia and Chicago universities on global student movements and on geopolitics, during his visit to the US next week, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda said on Wednesday.
Slamming the BJP for its repeated attack on the Gandhi scion, alleging that he has in the past defamed India abroad, Pitroda said it was a "bogus" argument as it is "not a question of criticising anybody, it is a question of showing facts as you see it".
In an interview with PTI from Chicago, Pitroda said the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is coming to the US mainly for two important engagements, which were planned quite some time ago.
"One is a fireside chat at Columbia University mainly on the global rise of student movement, which focuses on how it is seen in India, the impact on democracy, and their demands on education, employment, economy and environment. It will be a fireside chat on 17th at the University, which will be broadcast I'm sure at the right time" Pitroda said.
"The second one on 18th November is at University of Chicago with a very distinguished professor Dr Robert Pape, who is very well known in the geopolitics area. He has a very unique view on the Middle East, Iran war and all that. So the second conversation would be more on geopolitics and global affairs," Pitroda told PTI.
Asked about the BJP criticism of Gandhi that he raises domestic issues on foreign shores, Pitroda said, "I think we need to be aware of the fact that in this world where all 8 billion are connected, there is nothing local. Local events are global and global events become local, so you cannot shield information. Information has no borders".
Pitroda also spoke about the upcoming Bharat Summit in Hyderabad where the Congress will host political leaders, policy makers, academics, business representatives and civil society members from 70 countries for deliberations on the emergence of a new global order and India's strategic responses to the developments, besides issues like cooperative federalism and electoral integrity.
