New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the government of advising visiting foreign leaders against meeting the Leader of the Opposition, calling it a sign of “insecurity”. His remarks came just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin began a two-day visit to India for a summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi said that successive governments had followed the practice of facilitating meetings between visiting dignitaries and the Leader of the Opposition. “Normally the tradition is that those who come from abroad have a meeting with the LoP. This used to happen during Vajpayee ji’s time, Manmohan Singh ji’s time, it has been a tradition,” he said. According to him, this norm is no longer being upheld. “What happens these days is that when foreign dignitaries come and when I go abroad, the government suggests to them not to meet the LoP. We get the message that they have been told not to meet you.”
Gandhi argued that such interactions offer international visitors a fuller picture of India’s political landscape. “We also represent India, only the government does not represent India,” he said, adding that the tradition is being disregarded by both the prime minister and the Ministry of External Affairs. Asked why he thought this was happening, he replied, “It is their insecurity.”
His sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed the criticism, saying it was standard protocol for dignitaries to meet the Leader of the Opposition. “All the policies of this government are based on one principle, they want to capture everything, do not let other voices be heard and are breaking protocols,” she said. The decision to deviate from established practice, she added, “can only be insecurity and nothing else”.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also weighed in, describing the practice of LoP engagement with foreign visitors as a “time-tested democratic tradition” that contributes to stronger international ties. Writing on X, he said those “who only wish to speak their own Man ki Baat” disregard such pillars of foreign policy.