New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met a number of US lawmakers at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. Those present at the event included US Congress members Ilhan Omar, Ro Khanna, Barbara Lee, Raja Krishnamoorthi and others.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come down heavily on Rahul for meeting Ilhan Omar, who the party believes is an anti-India voice. On Wednesday, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya condemned the meeting. In a post on X, he wrote, “India’s Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi meets Ilhan Omar in the USA, a Pakistan sponsored anti-India voice, a radical Islamist and an advocate of independent Kashmir.”
Malviya added that even Pakistani leaders would be more cautious about associating with such rabid elements. “Congress is now openly working against India.”
India’s Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi meets Ilhan Omar in the USA, a Pakistan sponsored anti-India voice, a radical Islamist and an advocate of independent Kashmir.
Even Pakistani leaders would be more circumspect about being seen with such rabid elements.
Congress is now… pic.twitter.com/kEkNLrXvCV
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 11, 2024
Taking to X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “After spewing venom against Sikhs & running down India on foreign soil now Rahul Gandhi meets & engages with anti-India Ilhan Omar.”
He asked, “Why did Rahul Gandhi have to meet her? Why is he engaging with the most radical anti India elements on every foreign trip? In BJP virodh – desh virodh is ok?”
After spewing venom against Sikhs & running down India on foreign soil now Rahul Gandhi meets & engages with anti India Ilhan Omar – 1) Ilhan had introduced anti India resolutions in US Congress 2) She has been against abrogation of Art 370 3) She violated India’s sovereignty &… pic.twitter.com/3YndaPSLa4
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) September 11, 2024
Who is Ilhan Omar and why she is considered an anti-India voice?
Omar is a Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota. She fled Somalia, her home country, with her family following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991. Omar spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp and later moved to the United States in 1995.
Being the first Somali-American to serve in Congress, she was also the first woman of colour who represented Minnesota from 2017 to 2019.
Omar has often held an anti-India stance on various issues. She drew sharp criticism for visiting Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in April 2022. A report later revealed that her visit was sponsored by the Pakistan government. She is considered as a backer of Pakistan’s stand on Jammu and Kashmir.
She has been accused of making antisemitism remarks in the past. In June 2022, Omar introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives criticising India’s alleged human rights abuses and ‘violations’ of religious freedom, particularly that of Muslims. She also asked the US State Department to designate India as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’.
While diplomatic tensions between India and Canada saw an all-time low, Omar said that the US should fully back Canada’s probe into India’s alleged role in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In April 2022, Omar sought to review US’ security ties with India in the Indo-Pacific region. She also voted against a 2019 bill to slash the waiting period for Indians who were seeking permanent residency. In October 2019, she had voiced her objection to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.
