Govt asks visiting leaders to avoid LoP; shows their insecurity: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday levelled a sharp accusation at the Modi government, claiming it routinely advises visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the leader of the Opposition — a break from long-standing parliamentary tradition that he described as rooted in “insecurity”.

Speaking to reporters just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s arrival in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said that across governments — from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Manmohan Singh — it was customary for high-level visitors to meet the LoP. That convention, he alleged, has been quietly abandoned.

“Those who come from abroad have always met the Leader of the Opposition. It is a tradition,” Rahul Gandhi said in the Parliament complex. “But these days, the government signals to visiting dignitaries — and even to those I meet abroad — not to meet the LoP. We get that message repeatedly.”

Such interactions, Rahul Gandhi argued, serve a vital purpose: offering global leaders an alternative window into India’s political and democratic landscape. “We also represent India,” he said. “The government alone does not represent the nation.”

Without directly naming the Russian president, Rahul Gandhi suggested that the foreign ministry and the prime minister have chosen to disregard established diplomatic norms. “This is their policy. This is their insecurity,” he asserted.

Putin’s two-day visit, beginning Thursday evening, comes at a moment of geopolitical sensitivity. His summit meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to centre on strengthening defence ties, fortifying bilateral trade against external pressures, and exploring cooperation on small modular nuclear reactors — deliberations sure to be watched closely in Western capitals.

With PTI inputs