Free bus rides to help people attend Rahul Gandhi event
▶ From trade to national security, a historic bilateral relationship continues to deepen
Free transport will be provided as an estimated 25,000 people are expected to flock to an address by Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in Dubai on Friday.
The president of the Congress Party will hold a public gathering at Dubai International Cricket Stadium and hundreds of buses have been made available to enable supporters to attend. Many residents said they planned to bring their families along to hear a politician they see as a contender for the prime minister’s post in India.
“I have had about 1,000 calls from people asking about transport,” said Pradeep Nemmara, a Sharjah businessman and a secretary of the Overseas Indian Cultural Society.
About 200 buses will carry people in Dubai from areas such as Qusais, Sonapur, Deira, Karama, Bur Dubai, Al Quoz, Jebel Ali and Khawaneej.
About the same number of buses will transport people from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. Shuttle services have also been organised from the Mall of the Emirates and Internet City metro stations. For more information on transport options, visit www.rginuae.com.
Rahul Gandhi was just five years old when, at the invitation of his grandmother Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Sheikh Zayed made a historic visit to India. This official engagement, which took place in 1975, formalised a vital partnership – already a century in the making – that has grown ever since. Mr Gandhi, now president of India’s opposition Congress party, begins an inaugural two-day visit to the UAE today. His itinerary includes a speech on tolerance and the challenges faced by Indians overseas at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, meetings with cabinet ministers and a visit to the Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi – a rite of passage for foreign dignitaries. Today, bilateral ties are strengthened every year between the two nations, from finance and trade to security and the battle against extremism. As a potential future Indian prime minister, Mr Gandhi is, appropriately, signalling the enduring significance of these links.
His prospects grew in December, when the people of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan delivered a rebuke to the ruling – and previously dominant – BJP, in important state polls. Ahead of general elections due to be held by May, Mr Gandhi will be keen to build support among the UAE’s influential Indian community. While they cannot vote from here, the 2.8 million-strong contingent – the UAE’s largest expatriate group – will no doubt share their thoughts with their families back home. Meanwhile, many affluent Indians living and working in the emirates will return to say their piece at the polls. Viewed by some as inexperienced and dynastic, Mr Gandhi must act the statesman ahead of the vote. With this visit, marking the 150th birthday of the late Mahatma Gandhi, he will hope to do just that.
As migration to the UAE boomed in the 1970s and 80s, the hundreds of thousands of Indians who arrived helped to build the country we see today. With it came great mutual respect and kinship between two nations that share common goals. It was plain to see last year, when Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, attended republic day celebrations in New Delhi as the chief international guest. These ties can now only grow stronger. Mr Gandhi’s visit shows that he is clearly cognisant of that fact.