Taking a Leaf Out of PM Narendra Modi's Book, Rahul Gandhi in US to Seek Friends for Congress

New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's foreign tours never fail to attract controversies. So, when word came out that he was going to the United States, social media trolls once again targeted him.

Surprisingly, many within his party wondered, some even at the timing. "Why again? Why now?" asked a party leader from Gujarat.

The Grand Old Party hopes to better its performance in the forthcoming Assembly election in Gujarat. The nail-biting finish in the Rajya Sabha election, giving a crucial seat to Ahmed Patel, has lifted the party spirits in the state.

Rahul, initially, was slated to spend at least a week in the state, but left for Norway, and then the United States. BJP president Amit Shah has already kicked off the campaign in Gujarat, while the Congress awaits Rahul's dates.

But the underlying factor is that there is more to Rahul Gandhi's visit to the US than what is being talked about in the media. It's been organised by Sam Pitroda, one of the closest advisors to Rahul Gandhi. The Congress vice-president is expected to interact with students and intellectuals from the University of California, Berkeley.

He tweeted: "Looking forward to addressing students @UCBerkeley & interacting w/Indian Overseas Congress members w/@sampitroda during my visit to the US."

There was a speculation that Rahul was going to deliver a lecture on Artificial Intelligence. Trolls took on Rahul once again.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy made light of this, tweeting, "Buddhu who is bereft human intelligence was to get artificial intelligence. No so says out-on -Bail Sam. Jindal funded outfit will host him."

Later, Sam Pitroda clarified that he had seen the "news that Rahul was in the US to give a talk on Artificial Intelligence. This is false information."

The real story of this tour lies in its second leg in which Rahul will meet "friends of Congress", perhaps taking a leaf out of the BJP's book and reaching out to people overseas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign tours are organised and managed by the BJP's overseas wing. Its activities have contributed significantly to Modi's global image and attracted funding too.

The Congress currently faces an acute cash crunch. Sources within the party indicate that corporates don't find the party attractive anymore. "The perception is that the Congress is not coming back to power in 2019. Why waste money on them?" a party leader said.

The Congress is fast disappearing from the country's map, too. It holds power in just a handful of states, and contributors such as Karnataka and others face elections themselves.

Hence, the party now wants to attract international contributors. Rahul's otherwise innocuous-looking tour is actually a part Congress' outreach which could financially stabilise the party.

Besides this, the party now wants to construct Rahul's persona on the same scale as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's global image.

His visit to Norway was key in this chain of events he plans to attend. However, he is facing flak from all quarters, including his own party, for the timing of his visit.

But Rahul's advisors say that the mantra to success is not to conquer just India but the world. Will Rahul be able to convince the world that he is at par with PM Modi? Very few believe he is.