Indian Overseas Congress Vice Chair George Abraham, one of the founders of the Congress organization in America a quarter of a century ago, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Rahul Gandhi June 3, 2023, in a New York City.
The event, which was attended by more than 300 Congress Party supporters, was the IOC reception of Rahul Gandhi at the Terrace on Park in Queens, New York, ahead of his public meeting on June 4. The IOC Global Chair Sam Pitroda announced the honor and Rahul Gandhi, who is on a visit to the US, presented the plaque amid thunderous applause. The award lauded Abraham’s vision and commitment to the organization, a press release from IOC-USA said.
Abraham started his association with the Congress Party during his school days. He worked in ‘All Kerala Balajana Sakhyam’ (a youth organization) and became the state treasurer. Later he worked in the Kerala Students Union (KSU) before moving to the U.S. He maintains his Indian citizenship despite being in the US for 55 years.
In the late 1990s, Abraham, along with a few others from Kerala, decided to set up an organization to support Congress, and the ‘Indian Overseas Congress’ was inaugurated during a visit of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in 1998. Abraham’s wife, Lona Abraham, worked side by side with him for the organization, the press release said. The IOC grew to become a national organization known as INOC. Sonia Gandhi, former AICC President, inaugurated the organization upon her visit to the U.S. on June 25, 2001.
Abraham retired as a Chief Technology Officer at the United Nations.
