Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses — Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge — were not invited to the dinner hosted for Russian President Vladimir Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, though Congress MP Shashi Tharoor did receive an invite. The dinner is being hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.
Confirming the omission, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, “There has been speculation whether the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha have been invited for tonight’s official dinner in honour of President Putin. The two LoPs have not been invited.”
The move comes a day after Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of breaking “tradition” by ensuring that neither he nor “a representative of the Opposition” could meet Putin, saying the decision reflected the government’s “insecurity”.
Putin is in India for a two-day visit for annual summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Responding to reports that Shashi Tharoor was invited to the banquet, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “It’s quite surprising that an invitation was sent and the invitation was accepted also. Everyone’s conscience has a voice. When my leaders aren’t invited, but I am, we should understand why the game is being played, who is playing the game, and why we shouldn’t be part of it…”
Meanwhile, India and Russia on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation to combat terrorism, extremism, transnational organised crime, money laundering, terrorist financing, and illicit drug trafficking. In the Joint Statement following the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned terrorist attacks in India and Russia, including the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir and the Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow.
“The two Leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to preventing and countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border movement of terrorists and terrorist financing networks and safe havens. They condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in India in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, and in Russia at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22, 2024,” added the statement.
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