Rahul to discuss global student movements at Columbia University; geopolitics at Chicago University

Rahul Gandhi will visit the US next week for discussions at Columbia and Chicago universities on global student movements, democracy and geopolitics. Sam Pitroda defended his international engagements while highlighting the upcoming Bharat Summit in Hyderabad, involving delegates from 70 countries

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will have fireside chats at the Columbia and Chicago universities on global student movements and on geopolitics, respectively 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 Gandhi, 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’s a question of showing facts as you see it”.

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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 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.

“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 told PTI.

That’s all he has time for, the Congress leader added.

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 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.” “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,” he said.

Facts in India are the same as facts here, he asserted.

It is not a question of criticising anybody; it’s a question of showing facts as you see it, Pitroda said.

“Now, this idea that you can’t go and talk. You are humiliating India; it’s all bogus. You can’t humiliate a country of 1.5 billion people by saying a few lines abroad,” he said.

“I mean, what kind of mentality is that? So, you have to have free and fair conversation locally as well as globally,” Pitroda asserted.

He also hit out at the BJP for its criticism of Gandhi’s visits abroad, saying the former Congress chief should have foreign trips abroad because he is a “global leader”, and the young generation doesn’t have too many global leaders like this.

“If you look at the world over, there are very few young global leaders. In addition, India is the largest democracy in the world. Indian democracy is a larger global public good and it is our moral responsibility to remain connected with the world. Somebody has to do it. It’s a responsibility,” he said.

Pitroda also spoke about the upcoming Bharat Summit in Hyderabad where the Congress will host political leaders, policymakers, 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.

The Bharat Summit will be held in Hyderabad on November 13 and 14 and will bring together around 1,000 delegates from across the world, and the areas of focus include the formation of a new think tank, “Our World”.

The international conference will see the participation of senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, global policymakers, and prominent figures from progressive movements.

Talking about the summit, Pitroda said it is a joint venture courtesy of the Telangana government, the Progressive Alliance, the Foreign Affairs Department of the Indian National Congress and the Indian Overseas Congress.

“We all come together to hold this event. We did this last year, and we are doing it again this year, where probably 70 different countries’ leadership will come and participate,” he said.

Progressive Alliance is a group based out of Berlin where democratic parties of almost 100 countries come together to promote the idea of democracy globally, he said.

India is the largest democracy in the world and democracy is a larger global public good, and the idea is to meet with leaders of different countries to have a broader conversation on democracy and the state of democracy the world over, Pitroda said.

“As you know, there has been a change in the wind. US mid-term elections have shown that people want democratic voices to be heard. People don’t like an authoritarian, dividing kind of a mindset. Similarly, in Brazil, in other countries like Armenia, we are beginning to see the change,” he said.

“For quite some time, some of us believe that democracy has been hijacked. Democracy has been hijacked in different forms through the election process, by controlling institutions, dividing people by undermining civil society and manipulating the media. At the end of all of this, people suffer,” he said.

“You have seen global movements by students all over the world, basically saying, ‘I am more concerned about education, employment, equity. I am not interested in your wars and politics and authoritarian regimes. I don’t want to divide people’. And I think this process has become global, and hopefully this conference will give us a chance to have a deeper and broader conversation and also we will discuss the implications of AI, the role of youth, education reforms, technology, and many other related issues,” he said.