Chicago/New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will hold two fireside chats at Columbia University and the University of Chicago during his visit to the United States next week, Sam Pitroda, Indian overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda said on Wednesday.
The discussion at Columbia University on November 17 will focus on the rise of student movements across the world, while the conversation at the University of Chicago on November 18 will centre on geopolitics and global affairs.
Rahul is travelling to the US primarily for these two engagements, which had been planned some time ago, Pitroda told PTI from Chicago.
“One is a fireside chat at Columbia University mainly on the global rise of the student movement, what it means, how it is seen in India, the impact on democracy, their demands on education, employment, economy and environment. It’ll be a fireside chat on 17th at the University, which will be broadcast I’m sure at the right time,” Pitroda said.
The second engagement will take place at the University of Chicago on November 18, where Gandhi will interact with Professor Robert Pape, an academic known for his work on geopolitics.
“And the second one on the 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 said.
These were the two main engagements planned during Rahul’s visit, he said.
Responding to the BJP’s repeated criticism that Gandhi raises domestic issues during his foreign visits and allegedly tarnishes India’s image abroad, Pitroda dismissed the argument as “bogus”.
In an interconnected world, domestic developments could not be separated from global conversations, he said.
“I think we need to be aware of the fact that in this world where all 8 billion people are connected, there is nothing local. Local events are global and global events become local. So you can’t shield information. Information has no borders,” Pitroda said.
The same facts should be discussed both in India and abroad, adding that there should not be different versions of the truth depending on the audience, he said.
“So if you come and talk about something here, it is okay; you can talk about the same thing in India, but you can’t say one thing in India and another thing here. That’s a lie. That just doesn’t work. So you got to give facts in both places,” the Congress leader said.
He rejected the charge that Rahul’s remarks abroad humiliate India, adding that a few statements made overseas could not damage the reputation of a country with 1.5 billion people.
“You can’t humiliate a country of 1.5 billion people by saying a few lines abroad,” he said, calling for free and fair conversations both within the country and internationally.
Defending Rahul’s overseas visits, he described the LOP as a global leader and argued that India’s position as the world’s largest democracy made it important for the country to remain connected with international discussions.
There were very few young global leaders and that engaging with the international community was a responsibility, he said.
The global political environment was witnessing changes, with voters in different countries seeking democratic voices and rejecting what he described as authoritarian and divisive politics, Pitroda said.
He also spoke about the upcoming Bharat Summit, which will be held in Hyderabad on November 13 and 14.
The Congress, along with the Telangana government and other organisations, is expected to host around 1,000 delegates from nearly 70 countries, including political leaders, policymakers, academics, business representatives and members of civil society.
Senior Congress leaders, including Rahul and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, are expected to participate in the international conference.
The discussions will focus on the emergence of a new global order, India’s strategic response to international developments, cooperative federalism and electoral integrity. Other subjects on the agenda include artificial intelligence, the role of young people, education reforms and technology.
Pitroda described the summit as a joint initiative involving the Telangana government, the Progressive Alliance, the Foreign Affairs Department of the Indian National Congress and the Indian Overseas Congress.
The conference was being organised for the second consecutive year and would bring together representatives of democratic parties and movements from across the world, he said.
The Progressive Alliance, based in Berlin, is a grouping of democratic parties from nearly 100 countries that works to promote democracy globally.
The summit would provide an opportunity for leaders from different countries to discuss the state of democracy and the challenges facing democratic institutions worldwide, he added.