Rahul Gandhi Embarks on Europe Tour, Engaging with EU Lawyers, Students, and Diaspora

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi, a prominent leader of the Congress party, embarked on an almost week-long tour of Europe, during which he is scheduled to engage with various groups. Sources indicate that he will have meetings with European Union lawyers, interact with students, and connect with the Indian diaspora.

Gandhi is expected to engage with a group of EU lawyers in Brussels on September 7 and hold a similar session in The Hague. On September 8, he will address students at a university in Paris. Furthermore, he is slated to participate in a meeting organized by the Labour Union of France in Paris on September 9. Following these engagements, he will travel to Norway, where he will speak at a diaspora event in Oslo on September 10.

Gandhi's return is anticipated by September 11, just after the conclusion of the G20 summit, which is scheduled from September 9 to 10. India is hosting this G20 Leaders Summit in its capacity as the current president of the group. The event is expected to draw participation from over 30 heads of state, high-ranking officials from the European Union, invited guest countries, and 14 leaders from international organizations.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi was handed a two-year prison sentence in a criminal defamation case, resulting in his disqualification as a Member of Parliament under the Representation of People Act, 1951. Nevertheless, the highest court subsequently issued a suspension of his conviction, leading to the reinstatement of his Lok Sabha membership.

A Lucknow-based attorney submitted a petition seeking the annulment of the Secretariat's notification that reinstated Gandhi's membership. The petition argued that it was inappropriate for the Lok Sabha Speaker to reinstate Gandhi's lost membership after he had been sentenced to two years in prison.