EU Heads of Missions meet Rahul Gandhi, talk India-EU ties and geopolitics
Synopsis
All 27 EU Heads of Missions sat down with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on 14 May — a rare collective diplomatic engagement with an opposition leader. The same day, BJP’s Sambit Patra alleged Gandhi spent Rs 60 crore on 54 foreign trips against a declared income of Rs 11 crore over a decade, demanding disclosure of funding sources and flagging an alleged CRPF alert over undisclosed travel.
Key Takeaways
Rahul Gandhi met 27 EU Heads of Missions at a luncheon in Shanti Niketan, New Delhi on 14 May 2026 .
Salman Khurshid , Congress foreign affairs chief, also attended; EU Ambassador Hervé Delphin confirmed the meeting via a post on X.
Discussions covered the “thriving EU-India strategic partnership” and “evolving Indian and global geopolitical dynamics.” BJP MP Sambit Patra alleged Gandhi spent Rs 60 crore on 54 foreign trips over 22 years against a declared income of Rs 11 crore from 2013-14 to 2022-23.
Patra cited an alleged CRPF flag over undisclosed trips and questioned an unacknowledged Oman visit in May 2026 .
The Congress party had not responded to the BJP’s allegations at the time of publication.
Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi met the Heads of Missions (HoMs) of all 27 European Union (EU) Member States in New Delhi on Thursday, 14 May, at a luncheon hosted by the EU delegation at Shanti Niketan. The discussions centred on the “thriving EU-India strategic partnership” and what participants described as “evolving Indian and global geopolitical dynamics.”
What Was Discussed
Salman Khurshid, Chairman of the Congress party’s foreign affairs department, also attended the lunch alongside Gandhi. EU Ambassador to India Hervé Delphin confirmed the meeting in a post on X, noting that the gathering was “part of our engagement with Indian political parties.”
“We discussed the thriving EU-India strategic partnership, evolving Indian and global geopolitical dynamics,” Delphin wrote, characterising the exchange as substantive and forward-looking.
EU-India Ties at a New Level
The meeting comes against a backdrop of deepening bilateral engagement. The previous week, Ambassador Delphin had remarked that India and the EU were strengthening ties “like never before,” describing the two sides as “on the same page of history” as the world’s two largest democracies, together representing roughly a quarter of global population and a quarter of global GDP.
Speaking at Europe’s Day reception on 8 May, Delphin had referenced the back-to-back EU Presidential visits as Chief Guests at India’s Republic Day and the subsequent EU-India Summit as a moment where “symbolism, substance and strategic significance came together.” He described the partnership as “limitless, ambitious and progressive.”
BJP Raises Funding Questions Over Gandhi’s Foreign Trips
On the same day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trained its fire on Gandhi over his foreign travel record, raising questions about the source of funding for his overseas visits spanning two decades.
BJP MP Sambit Patra, addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, claimed that Gandhi’s declared income between 2013-14 and 2022-23 stood at Rs 11 crore, while his expenditure on 54 foreign trips over 22 years allegedly totalled Rs 60 crore. Patra demanded that Gandhi disclose who was funding these visits.
“The travel trail is public, the money trail is missing,” Patra said, raising what he called concerns over “opaqueness and secrecy” around the trips given Gandhi’s position as Leader of the Opposition.
CRPF Flag and Oman Visit Under Scrutiny
Patra also alleged that Gandhi’s foreign trips during 2024-25 had drawn attention after the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) reportedly flagged that it had been “uninformed” about certain visits. He specifically cited a trip to Oman in May 2026, claiming there was no public acknowledgement, no declaration of the host, and no details of any official programme. The Congress party had not commented on the Oman visit, he added.
Patra framed the issue as one of both transparency and national security, questioning who Gandhi was meeting abroad and under what financial arrangements. Neither Gandhi nor the Congress party had responded to the BJP’s allegations at the time of publication. The matter is likely to sharpen political exchanges in the days ahead, particularly as EU-India diplomatic engagement continues to intensify.
Point of View
However, lacks independent verification in the public domain; Patra’s press conference offered no documentary evidence, and the Congress has not rebutted the specifics. Until either side produces auditable records, this remains a political allegation, not an established fact — and mainstream coverage risks amplifying it without that caveat.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did EU Heads of Missions meet Rahul Gandhi?
The EU delegation met Gandhi as part of its regular engagement with Indian political parties, covering the EU-India strategic partnership and current global geopolitical developments. The luncheon at Shanti Niketan on 14 May 2026 included all 27 EU member state envoys and Congress foreign affairs chief Salman Khurshid.
What did EU Ambassador Hervé Delphin say about the meeting?
Delphin confirmed the meeting in a post on X, stating the group discussed ‘the thriving EU-India strategic partnership’ and ‘evolving Indian and global geopolitical dynamics.’ He had previously described EU-India ties as being at a ‘totally new level’ following back-to-back EU Presidential visits and the EU-India Summit.
What allegations did the BJP make against Rahul Gandhi?
BJP MP Sambit Patra alleged that Gandhi spent Rs 60 crore on 54 foreign trips over 22 years, against a declared income of Rs 11 crore between 2013-14 and 2022-23. Patra demanded disclosure of the funding source and raised concerns about an unacknowledged Oman visit in May 2026 and an alleged CRPF flag over undisclosed travel.
Has Congress responded to the BJP’s allegations about Gandhi’s foreign trips?
The Congress party had not responded to the BJP’s allegations at the time of publication. Neither Rahul Gandhi nor party spokespersons issued a rebuttal to Patra’s specific claims about travel expenditure or the Oman visit.
How significant is the current EU-India relationship?
According to EU Ambassador Delphin, India and the EU together represent approximately a quarter of the world’s population and a quarter of global GDP. He described the partnership as ‘limitless, ambitious and progressive,’ noting that bilateral ties have been elevated to a qualitatively new strategic level in recent months.
