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Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi arrived in Washington on Wednesday from New York and was being hosted for a luncheon on Capitol Hill by members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
A record number of the 120-plus members of the caucus were expected to attend the luncheon, closed to the press, with the co-chairs, Representatives Jim McDermott, Washington Democrat, and Ed Royce, California Republican, presiding.
Later in the afternoon, she was to meet Vice-President Dick Cheney at the White House.
Accompanying Gandhi, 54, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, during her visit to the US and to all her meetings are former Union finance minister Manmohan Singh, former minister of state for external affairs K Natwar Singh and party leaders Jairam Ramesh and Murli Deora, MP.
In the evening, Gandhi, who took to active politics only in 1998, will be accorded a dinner reception by Lalit Mansingh, India's ambassador to the US, at his residence. Senior administration officials, leading US lawmakers and NRIs affiliated with the Congress party in the US are among the invitees.
Such events have also traditionally been closed to the press, except for Washington Post diplomatic and society reporter Nora Boustany and Washington Post columnist Mary McGrory, who lives next door to the ambassador on McComb Street in uptown northwest Washington.
On Thursday, Gandhi is slated to meet National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who had visited New Delhi recently.
She will also participate in the opening ceremonies of the annual convention of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin -- the largest and most influential international medical group in the US, which is holding its parley this year at the Washington Sheraton Hotel.
She is also the chief guest on June 28 at a special luncheon being hosted at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington by the Confederation of Indian Industry, where she will offer her perspective on India-US relations.
A press briefing has been scheduled later in the afternoon at the Indian embassy, but some sources said Gandhi's advisers were trying to get her to talk to the media at the Sheraton Washington Hotel instead after she participates in the AAPI convention.
Gandhi is also not granting interviews, with her personal secretary, K Pillai, saying that it was not possible "because she has such a packed schedule".
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