On his first official visit to the U.K. from Thursday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will attend a town-hall style event with students, a meeting with MPs and a diaspora gathering. The London visit follows a series of international trips by the Congress leader including to Malaysia and Singapore. Mr. Gandhi will arrive from Germany, where he visited Hamburg and Berlin, and is accompanied by a delegation of around 10, including Shashi Tharoor and former Congress ministers.
Among the centrepieces of the visit will be the diaspora event on Saturday evening in West London, where around 1,300 people are expected to attend, organisers said.
“He is here because he wants to listen to everyone,” said an Indian Overseas Congress, U.K. spokesperson, who added that it hoped the visit, and opportunities to engage, would help give the local body momentum ahead of the general election next year, and help the party to reach out to new audiences and exchange ideas.
Security is expected to be tight during the main events, amid fears that certain groups were planning to disrupt sections of the trip. Organisers said they had made the necessary preparations and had security, and volunteers to ensure the smooth passage of the events.
Mr. Gandhi is also due to speak at the thinktank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and attend a function for health care professionals and a meeting of the Indian Journalists Association, as well as an event in Parliament.
The IOC, which is organising the event in Parliament, said a number of MPs are due to attend the event. Mr. Gandhi will also attend a dinner organised by the mayor the west London borough of Richmond.