Govt defends Jaishankar-Rubio Mumbai meet as standard practice

The Indian government defended External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's upcoming meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai, calling it standard practice to host foreign dignitaries outside New Delhi. This response follows opposition criticism, including Rahul Gandhi's remark that Rubio "summoned his employee." Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Jaishankar will host the UAE's deputy prime minister in Mumbai before talks with Rubio, and cited past examples like PM Modi hosting leaders in Baroda and Ahmedabad. He stated this hosting practice has been followed for the last decade. Rubio's itinerary includes Mumbai and Jamnagar, where he will visit Reliance facilities linked to the America First Refining project in Texas. The visit aims to review India-U.S. ties, covering energy, trade, defense, and technology, with Jaishankar also attending a U.S. independence anniversary celebration.