Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda has said that the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is no "Pappu" and contrary to what the BJP promotes, he is "highly educated, well-read and a strategist".

Pitroda, chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, made the remarks while introducing the former Congress president to students at the University of Texas in Dallas on Sunday.

“He (Gandhi) has a vision contrary to what the BJP promotes by spending crores and crores of rupees. I must tell you, he is no Pappu. He is highly educated, well-read, a strategist with a deep thinking on any subject,” Pitroda said.

Gandhi, who is on a visit to the US, has been referred to as ‘Pappu’ by his detractors for many years. During the interaction with students, Gandhi said, "Opposition at its heart is the voice of people, there is a whole sequence of events that go on, but what you generally think about is where and how can I raise the issues of the people of India." Talking about the Parliamentary proceedings, Gandhi described them as a "pleasant war" of ideas and words.

"You go to the Parliament in the morning, then it's like a war, you go in and then you fight, it's a pleasant war, it's reasonably fun at times, can be nasty also, but it's a war of ideas and words," he said.

"When you are new to politics, you see an issue, you think that is an issue, but when you go into details, you realise that there is nuance and complexity, so understanding that nuance and then planning your day according to that, that's how it generally works," he said.

During his visit, Gandhi will interact with the members of the Indian diaspora and youths in Washington, DC, too.

He also plans to meet lawmakers and senior officials of the US government during his visit to Washington DC, beginning Monday.

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