Rahul Gandhi To Speak In UK Parliament Today Amid Cambridge Row: Sources

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is on a 10-day visit to the UK, is scheduled to deliver an address in the British Parliament premises today, sources said. Mr Gandhi's visit has already ruffled feathers back in India, with the BJP accusing him of 'defaming India' abroad after his speech at Cambridge University, his alma matter. The Wayanad MP, however, hit back, saying it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who did that by discrediting the country's achievements since Independence.

Mr Gandhi will deliver an address in the UK Parliament in the Grand Committee Room of the Palace of Westminster on March 6, in order to "embrace the cultural, social and business ties that bind both countries as the people are the living bridge".

Rahul Gandhi last night met Indians settled in the country, and is scheduled to hold private business meetings. He will also speak at the London-based think tank, Chatham House.

At Cambridge, Rahul Gandhi said that Indian democracy is under attack and several politicians, including himself, are under surveillance.

The former Congress chief had also said he was under surveillance through the Israeli spyware Pegasus. He had listed five key aspects of the alleged attack on Indian democracy -- capture and control of the media and judiciary, surveillance and intimidation, coercion by federal law enforcement agencies, attacks on minorities, Dalits and tribals, and shutting down of dissent.