A dinner is being organized at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday night in honor of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has been invited by the government to this dinner. At the same time, Congress has claimed that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge have not been invited. On this, Congress has again targeted the government.
Congress angry at the government
On not being invited by the government, Congress leader Pawan Kheda has said that Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have not received any invitation. This is surprising, but we should not be surprised because this government is used to breaking all protocols. While Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on Twitter, there was speculation whether the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha have been invited to the dinner organized in honor of President Putin tonight. Both the opposition leaders have not been invited.
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.— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 5, 2025
Congress took a jibe at Tharoor
On Shashi Tharoor being invited, the Congress leader said that it is quite surprising that the invitation was sent and the invitation was also accepted. Everyone has a voice of conscience. When my leaders are not invited but I am, then we should understand why this game is being played, who is playing this game and why should we not be a part of it…? He further said, we should have listened to the voice of our conscience.
muI have been invited…I will definitely go: Shashi Tharoor
When invited to the dinner, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that there was a time when the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee was invited regularly but this practice has stopped for some years. Chairman of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs said, it has started again…I have been invited, yes. I will definitely go.
When Shashi Tharoor was asked a question on not inviting Rahul Gandhi, he said that I do not know on what basis the invitations were sent. I think the practice that was generally followed was for broader representation. Certainly I remember that in the old days, they used to invite not only the LOP, but also different sections of representatives from different parties. This has a good effect. I don’t know the basis of invitation, all this is done by the government, protocol and Rashtrapati Bhavan, what do I know? All I can say is that I’m proud to have been invited. Of course I will go.
Also read: India-Russia Talks: Amid American strictness, President Putin bluntly said that fuel supply to India will continue uninterrupted.
Rahul had said- Government does not want opposition leaders to meet foreign leaders.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had on Thursday alleged that the government does not allow foreign guests to meet the Leader of Opposition due to its insecurity. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi made this comment hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day visit to India. Rahul said that it is a tradition that foreign visiting leaders meet the opposition, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs are not following this rule. Rahul told the media in the Parliament House complex, this tradition continued to be followed even during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. Nowadays when foreign guests come and when I go abroad, the government advises them not to meet the Leader of the Opposition. The former Congress president said, this is the policy of the government. They do this every time I go abroad or when people come here. We get a message that he has been asked by the government not to meet us. Explaining the importance of such a meeting, the Congress leader said that the opposition leader presents a different perspective. Not only the government, we also represent India.
