Rahul Gandhi meets US Lawmaker Ilhan Omar an anti Indian
Rahul Gandhi with US lawmakers, including the Pro-Pak Ilhan Omar (indicated)
Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Ilhan Omar, who is the representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, and is known for her critical stance on India, drew sharp criticism from the BJP.
In 2022, Ilhan Omar an active USA politician had visited Pakistan, where she met several political leaders, including Shehbaz Sharif and Imran Khan. During her visit, she also visited Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). Omar’s visit was funded by the Pakistani government, covering her accommodation and meals.
India had criticised her visit and called it “narrow-minded politics.”
Now an Indian politician who is also the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s trip to the United States has created a backlash from even common people back home for the third day in a row. Naturally BJP leaders have sharply criticised Rahul Leader of the Opposition for meeting controversial and anti Indian American politician Ilhan Omar.
Omar is known for her critical stance on India and is well known for holding an ideological bias when it comes to her views on the country. She was among several US politician who Rahul Gandhi met on Tuesday during his three-day US visit.
The meeting sparked criticism from BJP leaders in India. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Rajya Sabha MP and BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “Rahul Gandhi is known for spewing anti-India venom, but what he has done this time is concerning. He became the first Leader of the Opposition to meet US MP Ilan, who is infamous for taking anti-India stand.”
“He has further added another feather to the cap of his anti-India friends,” Sudhanshu Trivedi said, adding, “Rahul Gandhi is not acting childishly, but dangerously. He is now doing what anti-India elements would love.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also joined the criticism, saying in a post on X, “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?”
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also condemned Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Omar. He said in a post on X, “Even Pakistani leaders would be more circumspect about being seen with such rabid elements. Congress is now openly working against India.”
The Congress defended the meeting, saying that Omar was part of the US delegation that met Rahul Gandhi.
“BJP leaders heard the name of Ilan Omar for the first time today. She’s a Congresswoman and came as part of the delegation,” Congress leader Pawan Khera said.
Talking about the Gandhi scion’s remark on the Sikh community, Khera said, “Rahul Gandhi did not make any statement against the Sikh. He has repeatedly raised the issues of different communities, about how there is hate in the country, how an elderly man was beaten on a train, how a boy was lynched on suspicion of being a Muslim…”
He then went on to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the unrest in Manipur.
“The Home Minister and the Prime Minister should get out of social media and come to the ground… They should answer if they consider Manipur a part of the country or not, whether they will visit Manipur or not,” Pawan Khera said.
On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi met several US lawmakers at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington in a meeting hosted by Congressman Bradley James Sherman. The representatives he met include, Jonathan Jackson, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Barbara Lee, Shri Thanedar, Jesºs G ‘Chuy’ Garca, Ilhan Omar, Hank Johnson, and Jan Schakowsky.
Ilhan Omar, who is the representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, attracted criticism last year after urging the US to “fully support” Canada’s investigation into alleged Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Niijar.
Ilhan Omar, a Somali American, had said in a post on X, “The allegations that Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Niijar was assassinated by the Indian government are deeply concerning. The US must fully support the Canadian investigation. We are also requesting a briefing on whether there are similar operations in the United States.”
Omar was also among the US lawmakers, who had boycotted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the joint session of the US Congress in June last year, accusing PM Modi of “repressing religious minorities”.
