Who is Ilhan Omar, the controversial US lawmaker who met Rahul Gandhi during his US visit?

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's unofficial four-day trip to the United States may have ended yesterday, but the war of words between the party and the ruling BJP is yet to die down.

Gandhi was largely critical of the Narendra Modi government during his interactions in the US, and, expectedly, it has not gone down well with the saffron party. Continuing with its attack on Gandhi, the BJP has now slammed him for meeting US lawmaker Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, who has criticised India several times in the past.

Gandhi met US lawmakers at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. at a gathering hosted by Congressman Bradley James Sherman. US Congress members Jonathan Jackson, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Barbara Lee, Shri Thanedar, Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia, Hank Johnson and Jan Schakowsky were also present.

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Who is Ilhan Omar?

Omar, a member of the Democratic Party, is the representative for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives, covering Minneapolis and nearby suburbs. She was one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to the US Congress. She became the first African refugee to join Congress, and the first woman of colour to represent Minnesota. Omar was born in Somalia—the youngest of seven children—but had to flee the country as a child during the civil war. She spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp before moving to the United States in the 1990s. In 2011, Omar graduated with a degree in Political Science and International Studies from North Dakota State University.

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Controversies surrounding Ilhan Omar, and her “anti-India” stance

Last year, Omar was voted out of the high-profile foreign affairs committee by the Republican-majority House of Representatives, for her critical comments on Israel. She had later apologised for the remarks, saying, “I might have used words at the time that I didn’t understand were trafficking in antisemitism.”

The same year, she boycotted PM Modi's joint session address to the US Congress, and also introduced a resolution condemning human rights violations in India, against Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities.

Omar had also urged the US to support the Canadian probe into allegations of the Indian government being involved in the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In 2022, she visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, drawing a sharp response from India. 

BJP slams Rahul Gandhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to X to slam Gandhi for his "anti-India" statements during the US visit. Referring to the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference's "anti-national and anti-reservation agenda" in J&K or making "anti-India statements" on foreign soil, Shah said that Gandhi has "always threatened" the nation's security and hurt sentiments.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, too, accused the Congress leader and the party of working against India's interests.