Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled two-day visit to India, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday stirred a political storm by alleging that the central government is not allowing opposition leaders to meet Putin’s delegation.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that the government is not allowing opposition leaders to meet any foreign delegations or guests, which he called dangerous for democracy. Rahul said that there was no such restriction during the tenures of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said, “It usually is a tradition that whoever visits from outside has a meeting with LoP. It used to happen during the governments of Vajpayee ji, Manmohan Singh ji. This has been a tradition. But these days, foreign dignitaries or when I visit abroad, Govt suggests them to not meet the LoP. This is their policy and they do it all the time.”
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also reacted sharply to the issue. She said, “The government is insecure, and this decision is a reflection of that.” Priyanka emphasized that the opposition is a part of the country and its meetings with foreign guests strengthen democratic values.
Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale categorically rejected Rahul and Priyanka’s allegations. He said, “Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are alleging that PM Modi is insecure. I believe that no leader is as secure as PM Modi is… Such an allegation is baseless..” Calling it a political stunt, Athawale said that the government is not stopping anyone, but rather following protocol.
Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, responding to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations on Zee News, said that there is no hard and fast rule. It depends on the foreign dignitary’s schedule. The Russian President’s visit is very important for India-Russia relations. Several agreements are expected to be signed during this visit. The draft passed in the Russian Parliament is particularly significant in terms of the security partnership between the two countries.
This is Putin’s first visit to India since the Ukraine conflict in 2022. It will focus on a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defense deals (such as the BrahMos missile and S-400 system), oil trade, and labor mobility agreements. India-Russia trade is projected to reach $68 billion by 2025, primarily driven by imports of Russian oil.
