Rahul Gandhi receives warm welcome from key IOC leaders in Berlin

Berlin (Germany), December 17 : Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday received a warm welcome in Berlin from Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) leaders, including Sonia Heldestad, President of the IOC Women's Wing, Sweden, and Gurminder Kaur Randhawa, Convener of the UK-Europe Wing.
They hailed Gandhi's voice for democracy, constitutional values, and unity, stating it continues to inspire across borders.
In a post on X, the official handle of Indian Oversees Congress (IOC) wrote, "Dr. Sonia Heldestad, President of the IOC Women's Wing, Sweden and Gurminder Kaur Randhawa, Convener of the UK-Europe Wing, warmly welcome Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji in Berlin, and hail his voice for democracy, constitutional values, and unity that continues to inspire across borders."
https://x.com/INCOverseas/status/2001289435556548645
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi visited the BMW World museum in Munich, Germany, where he marveled at the feats of Indian engineering being displayed with the TVS 450 cc motorcycle, developed in partnership with the German automobile manufacturer.
"LoP Rahul Gandhi visited BMW World in Munich, Germany, and took a guided tour of BMW Welt and the BMW Plant. He was pleased to see TVS's 450cc motorcycle, developed in partnership with BMW--a proud moment to witness Indian engineering on display," Congress party posted on X.
Highlighting that there is a lot of talent in the country, but that the Centre is squandering it, Congress party on X slammed the Central government for declining manufacturing, which is the "backbone of strong economies."
"Manufacturing is the backbone of strong economies. Sadly, in India, manufacturing is declining. For us to accelerate growth, we need to produce more - build meaningful manufacturing ecosystems, and create high-quality jobs at scale," the post added.
During the visit, he interacted with visitors while checking the display of various cars made by BMW.
"India needs to start producing, production is the key to success in any country. Our manufacturing is declining, it should actually be going up," Rahul Gandhi said during his visit.
In the video shared by the party, Gandhi said, "We went to the BMW factory -- fantastic experience -- and I was particularly excited to see that they have a 450 CC bike, the TVS, and I think that's going to do well. Good to see that the Indian flag is flying here."
The event is being held to strengthen Congress's global outreach and activities. The IOC states that Rahul Gandhi is there to address the Indian Diaspora and connect with various presidents of the party in Europe. They will be having discussions on NRI issues and how they can spread the party's ideology further.
The 5-day visit was announced during the Winter Session of Parliament, prompting widespread criticism from BJP leaders. They allege that his frequent trips call into question his dedication to the Indian Congress into question. The visit to Germany is scheduled to continue until December 20 this month.