The announcement of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming India visit by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has triggered a political controversy, with the India's major opposition party Indian National Congress questioning whether Washington is influencing New Delhi’s diplomatic decisions.
The Opposition’s questioned the venue and timing of the announcement of Rubio’s expected meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai rather than New Delhi.
Subsequently, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that Jaishankar would meet Rubio in Mumbai on October 20. Jaishankar will also attend celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence as the Guest of Honour.
The controversy erupted when Sergio Gor announced that Washington expects S. Jaishankar to travel to Mumbai to hold talks with Rubio.
The US State Department initially announced Rubio’s visit, stating that it would focus on strengthening energy cooperation and that he would meet senior Indian government officials.
On Thursday, Gor publicly referred to the expected meeting with Jaishankar.
“While he (Rubio) is in Mumbai, he will be meeting with government of India officials. We expect Minister Dr Jaishankar will be joining us there,” Gor said.
The statement drew sharp reaction from congress because bilateral meetings involving senior foreign officials are formally announced by the host country.
The Congress questioned why MEA did not confirmed the India’s External Affairs Minister participation before the US official had announced it.
State official visit of Rubio includes visit to Mumbai and Jamnagar in Gujarat. Jamnagar is home to Reliance Industries’ refinery complex.
Rubio's visit has raised serious question why national capital is not in his itinerary.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has cornered the government over Rubio's visit, adding to his broader allegations that PM Narendra Modi has succumbed to American pressure on foreign policy and trade.
“Rubio has summoned his employee to Mumbai. Modi, your officials in the External Affairs Ministry are confused about what's going on. You might want to explain. Unless, of course, you want me to,” Gandhi said in a social media post.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also questioned the sequence of announcements, asking why the scheduling of the External Affairs Minister’s engagements within India had been announced by someone other than the MEA’s official spokesperson.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal defended the decision to hold engagements with foreign dignitaries outside Delhi, after confirming the October 20 meeting,
Jaiswal cited several instances where diplomatic meetings with foreign officials were hosted in other cities of India, over the past decade.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meetings with the Spanish prime minister in Vadodara
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad and the prime minister of Mauritius in Varanasi.
Jaishankar’s participation in a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa
Meeting with Botswana’s foreign minister in Kevadia, Gujarat,
Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar.
The MEA said Rubio’s visit would offer an opportunity to review bilateral relations and strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
However, the clarification focused on the choice of venue and the proposed agenda. It did not directly address the Congress’s objection to the US envoy announcing the expected meeting before India formally confirmed it.
According to the MEA, following subjects are expected to be discussed during Rubio’s visit:
Trade and investment: Efforts to advance economic ties as negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement continue.
Energy cooperation: Cooperation on energy supplies and related strategic interests.
Defence: Continued engagement on defence and security.
Critical and emerging technologies: Collaboration in strategically important technology sectors.
Regional and global developments: Discussions on shared international concerns and geopolitical developments.
Rubio’s visit comes as India and the US continue negotiations on a trade agreement.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently said the bilateral agreement’s first phase had been finalised and was undergoing legal drafting, with operationalisation dependent on India securing a competitive advantage over peer countries.
The bilateral relations with India and US has come under strain after US enacted Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. The legislation empowers US president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, including India and China, subject to the law’s provisions and implementation.
Surprisingly, Trump made a Diesel Deal with Russia to purchase diesel from Russia, prompting criticism of Washington’s position on Russian energy trade.
Against this backdrop, Rubio’s meetings with Indian officials are expected to provide an opportunity to discuss trade, energy and strategic cooperation. Whether the visit eases tensions will depend on the discussions and any concrete outcomes announced by both governments.
