Congress leader Rahul Gandhi likened External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's position to that of a subordinate reporting to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, noting that it was US Ambassador Sergio Gor — rather than India's Ministry of External Affairs — who announced Jaishankar's planned trip to Mumbai for talks with Rubio.
The ministry subsequently confirmed that a meeting was scheduled for 20 October in Mumbai, and issued a statement saying that receiving foreign guests at locations beyond the capital had been standard practice for roughly ten years.
The disclosure of Rubio's visit came through the US State Department rather than the host country — a departure from standard diplomatic practice — with the announcement centred on advancing cooperation in the energy sector.
Remarks by Ambassador Gor at a Mumbai event, where he told attendees that Minister Jaishankar was expected to join them, added further dimension to the dispute.
Members of Congress put forward the view that India's foreign policy decisions were being shaped externally, and questioned the basis on which a United States envoy had been publicly detailing the movements of an Indian cabinet minister on Indian soil.
Some observers raised questions about Rubio's choice to bypass New Delhi in favour of Jamnagar — home to Reliance's refinery — framing the visit as centred on commercial affairs.
In a post on X, Gandhi characterised the visit as one in which Rubio had directed a subordinate to travel to Mumbai.
Reports from within the Ministry of External Affairs pointed to a lack of clarity among its personnel regarding the current state of affairs.
Pawan Khera, speaking for the Congress party, characterised the arrangement as one in which a foreign government had taken on the task of organising meetings for India's External Affairs Minister on home soil — a practice he described as without precedent in diplomatic norms. Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh raised the question of why the duty of announcing the minister's schedule had passed to an external party.
A statement from the MEA said the scheduled meeting between Jaishankar and Rubio in Mumbai on 20 October would also serve as an occasion to mark 250 years since the founding of the United States.
The choice of Mumbai as the venue, according to spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, aligns with a pattern of receiving foreign dignitaries outside Delhi that stretches back roughly ten years.
Agenda items spanning energy, trade, defence, technology, and the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership are set to feature in the talks, which take place against a backdrop of friction rooted in ongoing trade deal negotiations and penalties imposed on purchases of Russian oil.
