Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday criticised the Centre over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visit to India, alleging that Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials appeared “confused” about the trip.
In a post on X, Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that Rubio had summoned his “employee” to Mumbai and questioning whether the Prime Minister needed to explain the situation to his own officials. US envoy Sergio Gor said on Thursday that the Secretary of State’s visit would be “a little more business-focused”, with an emphasis on bilateral trade, energy cooperation, technology partnerships and investment opportunities. He said this reflected confidence in the country’s pharmaceutical industry. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump spoke just last week, so stay tuned for what comes next,” he said.
“Mr Rubio has summoned his employee to Mumbai. Modi ji, your officials in the External Affairs Ministry are confused about what’s going on,” siad Gandhi. His India itinerary includes meetings with senior government officials and discussions on strengthening bilateral ties. Healthcare remains another important area of cooperation, with the US ambassador noting that Washington imports a significant volume of generic pharmaceuticals from India. Gor also referred to recent communication between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, signalling the possibility of further developments in bilateral ties.
