New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to host the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai on 20 October, before attending the 250th year celebration of American Independence as the guest of honour.
Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, confirmed Friday that Jaishankar will hold bilateral discussions with Rubio on 20 October in Mumbai. Following the discussions, the two are set to make an appearance at the US Consulate in Mumbai as a part of its celebrations of 250 years of American Independence.
Jaishankar is also set to host the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 19 October in Mumbai.
“Insofar as the Secretary of State is concerned, this forthcoming visit will give both sides an opportunity to review India-US relations and discuss ways to further strengthen our comprehensive global strategic partnership that we have with the United States,” explained Jaiswal at a regular bi-weekly press briefing.
He added: “Discussions are expected to cover key areas of bilateral cooperation including energy, trade, investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies, and other areas of mutual interest. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments.”
This is Rubio’s second visit to India since May 2026. The US Secretary of State is skipping New Delhi, while visiting Jamnagar, home to the world’s largest single-site oil refinery operated by Reliance Industries.
The visit to Mumbai has created a political furore, following US Ambassador Sergio Gor’s comments Thursday at an event in the national capital. Gor said that he “expects Dr Jaishankar” to join the US delegation in Mumbai, while speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi zeroed in on Gor’s comments, stating that “Rubio has summoned his employees to Mumbai”, in a post on X Friday.
“Modi ji, your officials in the External Affairs Ministry are confused about what’s going on. You might want to explain. Unless, of course, you want me to,” added Gandhi.
Jaiswal highlighted that it is not unusual for bilateral discussions to take place outside of New Delhi, highlighting that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Vadodara, Chancellor Friedrich Merz met the Indian leader in Ahmedabad and the Prime Minister of Mauritius Navin Ramgoolam visited Varanasi in September 2025.
The official spokesperson went on to add that Jaishankar hosted the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa, while almost a decade ago, the Heart of Asia Conference was hosted in Amritsar.
MEA slams US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
On Friday, Jaiswal described US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s recent comments on the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls being conducted by the Election Commission of India as “unwarranted”.
“We find the remarks unwarranted and uninformed and tantamount to interfering in the electoral policies of a fellow democracy. This is an approach that undermines democracy itself,” said Jaiswal, when questioned about Jayapal’s statement.
The Representative from the State of Washington had earlier Wednesday highlighted her “deep” concern about the “actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls”. She likened the move to what is happening in the US to “undermine voting rights in a democracy”.
“Protecting democracies everywhere is essential work, and the Indian people—like the American people—deserve free and fair elections. Non-violent resistance movements are essential in these moments and I stand with the Indian people who are engaging in non-violent protests to counter anti-democratic efforts in India,” added Jayapal in her statement.
India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra reacted Thursday to Jayapal’s comments, calling them “unacceptable and interference” in the country’s domestic affairs. In December 2019, Jaishankar cancelled a meeting with US lawmakers, when the request to exclude Jayapal was rejected.
At that time, Jayapal had introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives urging India to lift restrictions on Jammu and Kashmir at that point in time. The resolution was a few months after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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