Jaishankar to meet Rubio in Mumbai on October 20

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai on October 20, after opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the planned meeting and questioned the government’s handling of the visit. The ministry also said Jaishankar would host Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ deputy prime minister and foreign minister, in Mumbai on October 19 and 20. The announcements were made on October 16 by ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Gandhi had posted on X that Rubio had “summoned his employee” to Mumbai and said officials in the External Affairs Ministry were confused. His remarks were political criticism; they do not independently establish the ministry’s internal state. He also suggested Prime Minister Narendra Modi should explain the situation. The criticism followed remarks by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who said Rubio would meet Indian government officials in Mumbai and that Jaishankar was expected to attend. Gor also said Rubio would meet people from Reliance in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The US State Department’s described announcement did not identify specific...