Rahul Gandhi Praises Indian Diaspora For Holding Up Tricolor In America

Former president of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi, during his address to the Indian diaspora at an event in California, the first stop of his U.S. visit, lauded the Indian diaspora for being ambassadors of the country and urged Indian students in United States to return to the country.

The United States and India need to work towards a vision, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said during a conversation themed on ‘The New Global Equilibrium’ hosted by the Center on Democracy, Development & the Rule of Law, Stanford University at CEMEX Auditorium on May 31.

Praising the Indian American community Gandhi said, “We think of our country, you are all our ambassadors. When America says Indian people are extremely intelligent, Indian people are masters of IT, Indian people are respectful – all these ideas that have come, they’ve come because of you, your actions, and your behavior. So, I thank you very much for that.”

“Thank you very much for holding up the Indian flag in America, showing the American people what it means to be Indian, respecting them, respecting their culture, learning from them, and also allowing them to learn from you. You make us all proud,” he added.

Responding to a question from a UC Berkeley student, who asked Gandhi to say a few words to the youth who hesitate to go back home at a time when the India’s youth and the wrestlers were being treated in an “undignified” manner, Gandhi said, “As a young person, your country needs you. Your skills and your energy will be very useful to your country so if you feel like going back, do go back and help out.”

Elaborating on the situation in India, Gandhi told the audience that what they see on the news from India is far away from the truth. “India is not what the media shows. The media likes to show, you know, a particular narrative. It likes to promote a particular narrative. That is actually not what is going on in India. It was very clear to me in the yatra.”

The former member of parliament also spoke at length of his experience during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the reason behind it. He stressed that India’s strength stems from its diversity and the only way to combat hate in the society is through love and affection. Gandhi also informed the gathering on his party’s stance on various political issues in India.

The session was moderated by CDDRL-affiliated scholar Dinsha Mistree. Gandhi said, “We have a population that is more than ready to work very hard. You have the technology, you have Silicon Valley. These two things need to be brought together, but it needs a vision. It needs to spark action. US and India need to work together towards this vision,” he added.

He added, “If you look at India as a manufacturing hub, it is dropping. Unemployment is rising. These are directly connected. It’s a hard thing to do. It’s much harder for the West to do it than for us. But, it needs to be done.” Gandhi is in the US on a week-long tour during which he is scheduled to meet the Indian diaspora, academics, students, entrepreneurs and think tanks. He landed in San Francisco on May 30, and was in Washington, DC and New York as well. His visit concluded on June 4.

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