Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will speak in Columbia and Chicago
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will hold talks at the University of Columbia and the University of Chicago on global student movements and geopolitics during their visit to the US next week, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda said on Wednesday (Nov 11, 2026).
Pitroda hit out at the BJP for its repeated attack on Mr Gandhi, alleging that he had maligned India abroad in the past, and said it was a “false” argument because “it is not a question of criticizing anybody, it is a question of showing the facts as you see them”.
Speaking to PTI from Chicago, Mr. Pitroda said that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was coming to the US mainly for two important engagements that had been planned for quite some time.
“One is a fireside chat at Columbia University, mainly about the global rise of the student movement, what it means, how it is perceived in India, the impact on democracy, their demands for education, employment, the economy and the environment. It will be a fireside chat on the 17th at the university, which will be broadcast at the right time for sure,” said Mr. Pitroda.
“And the second one on November 18 is at the University of Chicago with a very distinguished professor, Dr. (Robert) Papo, who is very well known in the field of geopolitics. He has a very unique perspective on the Middle East, the Iran war and everything else. So the second interview will be more about geopolitics and global affairs,” Pitroda told PTI.
That is all he has time for, the Congress chief added.
On BJP’s criticism of Rahul Gandhi
Asked about Mr Gandhi’s criticism of the BJP for raising domestic issues on foreign shores, Mr Pitroda said: “I think we have 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 cannot protect information. Information has no borders.”
“So if you come here and talk about something, that’s fine; you can talk about the same thing in India, but you can’t say one thing in India and another here. That’s a lie. It just doesn’t work. So you have to state the facts in both places,” he said.
“The facts in India are the same as the facts here,” he claimed.
“It’s not about criticizing anyone, it’s about showing the facts as you see them,” Mr Pitroda said.
“Now this idea that you cannot go and talk. You are demeaning India; it is all fake. You cannot demean 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 a free and fair conversation locally and globally,” Mr Pitroda argued.
Rahul is a “global leader”, says Pitroda
He also hit out at the BJP for its criticism of Mr Gandhi’s foreign visits, saying the former Congress chief should have foreign trips abroad as he is a “global leader” and the younger generation does not have many global leaders like him.
“If you look at the world, there are very few young global leaders. Besides, India is the largest democracy in the world. Indian democracy is a wider global public good and it is our moral responsibility to stay connected with the world. Someone has to do it. It is a responsibility,” he said.
Bharat Summit in Hyderabad
Mr. Pitroda also spoke about the upcoming Bharat Summit in Hyderabad, where the Congress will host political leaders, policymakers, academics, business representatives and members of civil society from 70 countries to discuss the emergence of a new global order and India’s strategic responses to developments, besides issues such as 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 around the world. Areas of interest include the creation of a new think tank, “Our World”.
Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, global politicians and prominent figures from progressive movements will attend the international conference.
Speaking about the summit, Mr. Pitroda said it was a joint venture courtesy of the Telangana government, the Progressive Alliance, the Ministry of External Affairs of the Indian National Congress and the Indian Overseas Congress.
“We have all come together to organize this event. We did it last year and we are doing it again this year, where the leaders of 70 different countries will probably attend,” he said.
The Progressive Alliance is a Berlin-based group where democratic parties from nearly 100 countries come together to promote the idea of democracy around the world, he said.
“India is the largest democracy in the world and democracy is a wider global public good and the idea is to meet the leaders of different countries to have a broader conversation about democracy and the state of democracy around the world,” Mr Pitroda said.
“As you know, the wind has changed. The US midterm elections showed that people want democratic voices to be heard. People don’t like an authoritarian, divisive way of thinking. Similarly, in Brazil, in other countries like Armenia, we’re starting to see a change,” he said.
“Some of us have believed for quite a long time that democracy has been hijacked. Democracy has been hijacked in various forms through the electoral process, by controlling institutions, dividing people by undermining civil society and manipulating the media. At the end of it all, people suffer,” he said.
“You’ve seen the global movement of students around the world, basically saying, ‘I’m more interested in education, employment, justice. I’m 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 an opportunity to have a deeper and broader conversation, and we’ll also discuss many issues related to education, youth, AI,” he said.
Published – 11 Nov 2026 11:52 IST