Watch | Rahul Gandhi visits BMW plant in Germany, says India's manufacturing 'declining'

The event is being held to strengthen Congress's global outreach and activities

During a visit to Germany on Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi discussed India's "declining" manufacturing sector and pointed out that India needs to increase production in order to grow its economy.

In a video shared by Congress leader Alok Sharma, Gandhi, speaking about his visit to the BMW factory, said, "We went to the BMW factory -- fantastic experience -- and I was particularly excited to see that they have a 450 CC bike, the TVS, and I think that's going to do well. Good to see that the Indian flag is flying here."

"India needs to start producing. Production is the key to the success of any country. Our manufacturing is declining; it should actually be growing up," Gandhi further said in the video.

LoP Shri @RahulGandhi visited BMW World in Munich, Germany, and took a guided tour of BMW Welt and the BMW Plant. He was pleased to see TVS’s 450cc motorcycle, developed in partnership with BMW—a proud moment to witness Indian engineering on display. Manufacturing is the… pic.twitter.com/iqiMCAQD23

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 17, 2025

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi received a warm welcome by the IOC (Indian Overseas Congress) upon arrival at Berlin Airport during his 5-day visit to Germany. He is scheduled to attend a major IOC event happening today, where he will meet IOC leaders across Europe. He was greeted with garlands by the IOC teams, who were all smiles upon his arrival.

The event is being held to strengthen Congress's global outreach and activities. The IOC states that Rahul Gandhi is there to address the Indian Diaspora and connect with various presidents of the party in Europe. They will be having discussions on NRI issues and how they can spread the party's ideology further.

"We are honoured to welcome Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji, who will be engaging with the Indian Diaspora in Berlin on December 17. The event will bring together all presidents of the Indian Overseas Congress from across Europe, providing a unique platform to discuss key issues with Rahul Gandhi, particularly on strengthening the party, NRI concerns and how IOC can play a pivotal role in connecting more people to the party," a post from the Indian Overseas Congress X account said.

The 5-day visit was announced during the Winter Session of Parliament, prompting widespread criticism from BJP leaders. They allege that his frequent trips call his dedication to the Indian Congress into question.

Priyanka Gandhi defended the Germany Tour by stating that "PM Narendra Modi spends half of his working time outside the country, so why are they raising questions when the Leader of the Opposition is travelling".

The visit to Germany is scheduled to continue until December 20, 2025.