£900 for a meal with Rahul Gandhi? Party fumes at fundraising tactics

The organisers of the events surrounding Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s recent United Kingdom visit seem to have attempted to replicate the US norm of fundraisers for supporting campaigns, by collecting £ 900 per head for the leftover seats at an event that was organised for Gandhi to interact with Indian journalists. However, in this case, the event has left several raised eyebrows within the party with leaders unhappy that funds were collected to run an event where the party’s president was speaking.  

The event, organised by the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC), was drawn up such that Gandhi could interact with Indian journalists from a particular association. Yet, there were invitees, and as per sources, the organisers started selling a spot at the table to arrange for funds for the event. Sources in the party said that the event was almost like a ticking bomb.

“Putting a room full of journalists along with industrialists and high-profile individuals, where either side would not know about the true nature of the event is not the brightest of ideas,” said a party source. The party is now upset with the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) for the event; leaders say they were uncomfortable that an event graced by Gandhi needed to be financed in such a way.

Certain other events organised by the IOC during Gandhi’s four-day tour to UK and Germany has been strewn with a slew of such missteps. “The most egregious error seems to be an event planned by the Conservative Friends of India, an overseas body seen ideologically close to the BJP. The event was organised under the watch of IOC president Kamal Dhaliwal, and was to be hosted by Baroness Verma, a close aide of Union minister Arun Jaitley. Invites for the event on August 24 were sent out too,” added the source. It was cancelled at the last moment when Indian-origin Labour MPs Keith Vaz and Virendra Sharma stepped in to arrange for an event in the House of Commons instead.

In a third closed-door event conducted at the IISS, there was the conspicuous presence of Manoj Ladwa, a London-based lawyer who is said to have brought donors to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here, Ladwa posed two question to Gandhi: One, whether his party agreed with the NRC and other, if gandhi believed the surgical strikes in Pakistan took place.

Gandhi’s replies, while being politically correct gave away his annoyance, said people in the know. In reply, he had said that since his party had started the exercise, he supported the NRC but not its implementation. On the surgical strikes, Gandhi said that he believed that the exercise took place, but that it was politicised needlessly as such strikes had taken place before.      

In yet another event at the UK Mega Conference, Khalistan supporters attempted to enter the venue -- the conference hall of the Ramada Hotel. In addition to that, during Gandhi’s talk at the London School of Economics, over 50 invitees of the cancelled CFI event who the Congress considered important were included as part of the guest list.

“The mishaps could cost the party dearly as it can potentially disrupt possible political funding to the party from prospective international donors,” a party source said. Additionally, in case a future change in the law grants voting rights to Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), then there will be over 25 millions eligible to vote.