10-17-2007, 02:11 AM
<!--emo&<_<--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' /><!--endemo--> Meets top leaders in Britain
17 Oct 2007, 0058 hrs IST,Mohua Chatterjee,TNN
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NEW DELHI: If Rahul Gandhi has finally been made a general secretary in the Congress party after a long wait, the young Gandhi is also being groomed for a larger political role it seems.
On his way back from New York, where he had accompanied his mother Sonia, Rahul stayed back in London for a couple of days.
But interestingly, Rahul was not really holidaying in London from October 4-7, according to top government sources. He had a quite but very hectic schedule during his stopover with meetings lined up with dignitaries and political leaders in the city.
Rahul held extensive meetings on October 5 and 6 at India House, the Indian high commission in the UK.
Rahul met former British PM Tony Blair and UK's foreign secretary David Milliband. He also met former minister in Blair's cabinet Peter Mandelson, who is the British representative to the European Union. The young Gandhi also found time to interact with Sir Suma Chakra-barti, permanent secretary, Department of Foreign Investment and Development (DFID), and Jim Drummond, director, South Asia, DFID.
Caroline Harper, OBE and CEO, Sightsavers International, along with Peter Ackland, director of overseas programmes, were amo-ng those who had formal meetings with Rahul.
Surprisingly, Rahul's high profile itinerary, facilitated by the Indian mission headed by ambassador Kamlesh Singh, considered close to the Gandhi family, went unpublicised. According to political circles, the reasons for not publicising visit could be that it involves a "serious" business of projecting the young Gandhi as a future leader, beyond the domestic domain.
17 Oct 2007, 0058 hrs IST,Mohua Chatterjee,TNN
Print Save EMail Write to Editor
NEW DELHI: If Rahul Gandhi has finally been made a general secretary in the Congress party after a long wait, the young Gandhi is also being groomed for a larger political role it seems.
On his way back from New York, where he had accompanied his mother Sonia, Rahul stayed back in London for a couple of days.
But interestingly, Rahul was not really holidaying in London from October 4-7, according to top government sources. He had a quite but very hectic schedule during his stopover with meetings lined up with dignitaries and political leaders in the city.
Rahul held extensive meetings on October 5 and 6 at India House, the Indian high commission in the UK.
Rahul met former British PM Tony Blair and UK's foreign secretary David Milliband. He also met former minister in Blair's cabinet Peter Mandelson, who is the British representative to the European Union. The young Gandhi also found time to interact with Sir Suma Chakra-barti, permanent secretary, Department of Foreign Investment and Development (DFID), and Jim Drummond, director, South Asia, DFID.
Caroline Harper, OBE and CEO, Sightsavers International, along with Peter Ackland, director of overseas programmes, were amo-ng those who had formal meetings with Rahul.
Surprisingly, Rahul's high profile itinerary, facilitated by the Indian mission headed by ambassador Kamlesh Singh, considered close to the Gandhi family, went unpublicised. According to political circles, the reasons for not publicising visit could be that it involves a "serious" business of projecting the young Gandhi as a future leader, beyond the domestic domain.