Why is Marco Rubio skipping Delhi for Mumbai and the Reliance Jamnagar hub? What this signals about Indo-US relations under Trump | Today’s news
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visit to India is attracting attention for an unusual itinerary: Mumbai and Jamnagar rather than Delhi, the national capital that is the traditional center for high-level diplomatic engagements.
The choice of destinations has raised questions about the agenda of the visit and what it signals for India-US ties under President Donald Trump.
Rubio is scheduled to visit India from October 18 to 22 after traveling to Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The US State Department said the visit will focus on strengthening strategic partnership, discussing regional and global developments and exploring opportunities to deepen energy cooperation.
This will be Rubio’s second visit to India this year after he attended the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi in May.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that Jaishankar will meet Rubio in Mumbai on October 20.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also said the trip would have a stronger business focus, with Rubio expected to meet government officials in Mumbai and representatives of Reliance Industries in Jamnagar.
Why Mumbai and Jamnagar instead of Delhi?
The itinerary stands out in that an official bilateral meeting with a visiting US Secretary of State would normally be expected to take place in the nation’s capital.
Mumbai, India’s financial capital, offers access to corporate leaders and financial institutions, while Jamnagar in Gujarat is home to Mukesh Ambani’s sprawling Reliance Industries refinery complex.
Read also | Jaishankar to meet Rubio: MEA clarifies Mumbai meeting amid criticism from Congress
Rubio is expected to visit the refinery and meet with Reliance representatives, according to reports citing a US envoy.
Why does the venue provoke a diplomatic debate?
The controversy gained momentum after Washington announced Rubio’s visit and Gor publicly outlined a plan to meet in Mumbai.
The Indian opposition questioned why Jaishankar would travel outside the capital to meet the US secretary of state, saying the arrangement deviated from established diplomatic practice.
Former diplomat Suresh K Goel called the arrangement unusual and drew on his experience in the Ministry of External Affairs. He argued that official visits are generally planned by the MEA in consultation with the host government and its embassy, distinguishing formal diplomatic engagements from private programmes.
“With my own experience of such visits to the Ministry of External Affairs, it is very strange that a minister should go to Mumbai for an official meeting at the level of Marco Rubio,” Goel told LiveMint.
He explained that official engagements are usually coordinated through established diplomatic channels, while private programs are handled separately.
“Whenever a foreign minister or foreign minister visits India on an official visit, the program is prepared by the Ministry of External Affairs in consultation with the US embassy or government,” he said.
“Any private program that he wants to keep time for is left with the embassy. But the MEA knows that it is a private program and they know the program because it is under the responsibility of the Indian government for its security.”
Goel said if the MEA had prepared the itinerary, the decision to hold the meeting in Mumbai and not Delhi would deserve scrutiny.
“If the Ministry of External Affairs prepared the agenda, I found that this meeting was not scheduled earlier in Delhi and that it was going to Mumbai or Jamnagar. It is clear that there were no official talks or anything on the agenda of the meeting,” he said.
However, the government backed down from the criticism. The MEA said hosting foreign dignitaries in cities outside New Delhi is not unprecedented, especially when the visits involve business and sector-specific engagements. Jaishankar’s meeting with Rubio in Mumbai has now been formally confirmed for October 20.
What does the itinerary signal about Indo-US relations?
Apart from the protocol debate, Rubio’s visit comes at a sensitive point in India-US relations, with trade disagreements and differences on energy policy adding to the challenges facing the partnership.
Goel cautioned against letting disagreements over trade or the tone of bilateral commitments overshadow the broader strategic relationship.
“The relationship between India and the US is very, very important in every way. And so the government, rather than becoming part of this type of temperament or trade effect, has to be mature in our dealings and try to see how we can really lead the relationship,” he said.
He added that the talks between Rubio and Jaishankar will be important to understand the rationale behind the venue of the meeting.
“From that point of view, the talks between Rubio and the EM are important and would perhaps explain why the minister would want to go to Mumbai to hold talks,” Goel said.
Why strategic partnerships still matter
Despite current differences, Goel said India remains important to the United States because of its economic potential, democratic institutions and cooperation across many sectors.
“India continues to be important to the US as an economic and democratic partner. After all, if you look at Asia, who is the next democracy to compare in terms of relations?” he said.
He pointed to the breadth of cooperation between the two countries, including information technology, defense and professional services.
“Relationship – there are many factors. There are professionals, there is IT cooperation, there is defense cooperation, there are many areas. So India will continue to be important,” Goel said.
Rubio’s visit will therefore be watched not only for the significance of his stops in Mumbai and Jamnagar, but also for whether the discussions will help sustain cooperation across trade, energy, defense and technology.
