Congress President pledges to reinstate Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

Manama : The President of Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi, yesterday said that Non-Resident Indians are vital to India and they “should not underestimate their power to cause a positive change in India”.

Speaking during his first foreign visit after taking over as the president of Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi also promised to reinstate the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs which was scrapped by the BJP government last year. 

He said this while interacting with the Indian community at the GOPIO ( The Global Organisation of People Of Indian Origin ) convention in Bahrain. 

Taking questions from the audience in Hindi and English, he said India’s freedom struggle began from Non-Resident Indians of that time like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar who were inspired by cosmopolitanism and urged NRIs to support a movement in India to free the country from hatred and bigotry. “Indian is free, but once again, it is under threat,” he told the cheering crowd of Indians cutting across languages. 

“You have lived with people of different nationalities. Your patriotism, openness and skills are needed today,” he told them.

Speaking to the massive crowd at the Gulf Convention centre, he said that one of the main purposes of his visit was to remind NRI’s that they are important. “I am here to tell you what you mean to your country, to tell you that there is a serious problem at home, and to tell you that you are part of the solution,” he stressed.

Emphasising the importance of Indians living abroad, he reminded the audience that Mahatma Gandhi, who returned to India when the nation needed was an NRI. “Great leaders of India, whether it was Mahatma Gandhi or BR Ambedkar, they were once NRI’s,” he said, adding, “Your tolerance, your patriotism is what India needs today. You have lived with people of different nationalities and you have done so by learning from them and teaching them about Indian cultures in return.”

He further said: “All of you in this room are proof that India can bridge any gap put before it. No global vision for India can be built without you. We need to bring our conversation back from violence and hatred to that of progress, jobs and love between people. And we cannot do that at home without our largest skill base on the planet – all you people in this room.”

The Congress president further praised the Indian community for their role in the development of Bahrain. “The Indian community has played a huge role here. It is an honour for me to come here,” he said.

Interacting with the audience, he said that job creation would be one of his top priority if he comes to power. “India’s main problem today is the failure of our government in creating jobs. Job creation in India is at an 8-year low. Many Indians have lost hard-earned money because of decisions like demonetization. India simply cannot afford this.”

He also said that he has planned similar trips around the world including to Canada, Singapore and once more to the Gulf in the near future. The GOPIO convention, which lasted three days, featured discussions about India, its economy and people. Raj Purohit Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra, Dr Chandan Mitra Editor of The Pioneer, Entrepreneur Dr Sam Pitroda, Shashi Tharoor were among those who participated.