Rahul Gandhi Waits In Queue At US Airport For Immigration Clearance, Says `I`m No Longer An MP`

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi applied for an ordinary passport after surrendering the old diplomatic passport issued to him when he was a member of Parliament.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in the United States on Tuesday for a three-city tour during which he will interact with the Indian diaspora and meet American lawmakers. He, however, had to wait for a couple of hours at the San Francisco airport for immigration clearance. While he was waiting in the queue, several people who were travelling with him on the same flight were also seen clicking pictures with him.

When people asked him why he was standing in the queue, Rahul Gandhi reportedly said, "I am a common man. I like it. I am no longer an MP."

"After a 16-hour flight, waited another 2 hours at San Francisco airport for immigration with Rahul Gandhi, who was besieged with selfie requests by other passengers in the queue," a Congress leader said in a tweet and shared two pictures with him. 

It is notable that the former Congress president had applied for an ordinary passport after surrendering the old diplomatic passport issued to him when he was a member of Parliament from Kerala. Gandhi was disqualified as an MP in March this year following his conviction and two-year sentence by a Gujarat court in a defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.

Rahul Gandhi is on a week-long US tour during which he is scheduled to interact with the Indian diaspora and meet American lawmakers. He is slated to conclude his trip with a public gathering in New York on June 4. The interaction would take place at the Javits Center in New York.

He was received at the San Franciso airport by Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda and other members of the IOC. Pitroda said Gandhi's visit is aimed at promoting shared values and a vision of 'real democracy'.

"The purpose of his (Gandhi's) trip is to connect, interact and begin a new conversation with various individuals, institutions and media, including the Indian diaspora that is growing in numbers in the United States and abroad to promote the shared values and vision of the real democracy with a focus on freedom, inclusion, sustainability, justice, peace and opportunities world over," Pitroda said in a statement.