Did Rahul Gandhi and Kamala Harris speak over phone? US V-P's office debunks 'lies'

New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) United States Vice President Kamala Harris and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had a telephonic conversation on Thursday evening, some reports said while social media saw strong buzz over Rahul’s interaction with the US V-P of Indian descent, widely seen as a possible candidate in the upcoming Presidential elections if Biden pulls out.

Though US President Joe Biden has put his foot down and vowed to defeat the Republican challenger in ensuing polls, there is clamour within the Democrats for a ‘change of guard’ owing to the former’s age.

As reports of a telephonic conversation surfaced between Rahul Gandhi and Kamala Harris, a couple of Congress supporters and loyalists expressed joy over the party MP’s growing international stature while some others claimed that it was a courtesy call from the US Vice-President on Rahul becoming Leader of Opposition (LoP).

However, the fake claim stands debunked now. The office of US V-P has denied any such phone conversation and termed the news as ‘inaccurate’, confirmed a senior US-based scribe.

“This news is inaccurate as per the office of the US Vice President. Kamala Harris has not spoken with Rahul Gandhi,” he said in a tweet.

Though social media was abuzz about Rahul-Kamala's telephonic conversation, Congress handles didn’t either confirm or deny the news. However, the deliberate projection of Rahul’s ‘significance’ in US presidential polls by certain social media accounts, with a noted affinity for the party, raises questions about the spread of fake news and also calls for a mechanism to contain it.

According to a New York Times report, Indian-origin Kamala Harris is actively considering the prospects of running for the top position and is also discussing the possible names of those who can be her running mate.