Rahul Gandhi to visit US for fireside chats at Columbia varsity

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, will travel to the US next week for two fireside chats, or informal conversations featuring a moderator and a guest in front of an audience, at Columbia University on November 17 and in Chicago on November 18. 

Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda said the visit is built around academic conversations and not diaspora rallies. “He is required here at Columbia University on the 17th and Chicago on 18th November,” Pitroda said. “He is here for a fireside chat at Columbia University.” He added that Gandhi will then travel to Chicago. Pitroda said the first chat at Columbia will focus on the global student movement and the implications of that on overall global politics. Gandhi will be in conversation with Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, on international affairs and geopolitics. Pitroda called both events very important and timely.