Track II delegation engage with Rahul Gandhi

Asia:NZ hosted prominent Indian MP Rahul Gandhi on 16 February as part of his visit to Wellington as the inaugural recipient of the Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship. Elected in 2004, Mr Gandhi is General Secretary of the ruling Indian National Congress.

Following a session with Young Leaders, Mr Gandhi met with a group of academics and commentators, convened by Asia:NZ executive director Dr Richard Grant, to explore international affairs and relations between both countries.

The New Zealand participants included:

  • Dr Richard Grant, Asia:NZ (chair)

  • Mr Brian Lynch, New Zealand Institute of International Affairs

  • Professor Xiaoming Huang, Victoria University of Wellington

  • Dr Mark Rolls, Waikato University

  • Dr David Capie, Victoria University of Wellington

  • Prof Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, Victoria University of Wellington

  • Prof Rob Ayson, Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand

  • Dr Andrew Butcher, Asia:NZ

  • Mr Terence O’Brien

  • Prof Paul Spoonley, Massey University

Mr Gandhi’s two-day visit to the capital took in meetings at the Beehive and other New Zealand institutions.

Rahul Gandhi is the fourth generation of the Nehru/Gandhi family. His great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was independent India’s first prime minister and his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, led the country for 18 years. He is the son of Rajiv Gandhi who served as the youngest Prime Minister in India’s history in the 1980s, before he was assassinated in 1991.

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Read about Mr Gandhi's meeting with Young Leaders

Last updated: 02 March 2010
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