Govt tells visiting dignitaries not to meet LoP, it's insecurity: Rahul ahead of Putin's visit

New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition due to its "insecurity".

Gandhi's remarks came hours ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to India.

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha said it is a tradition that visiting foreign dignitaries meet the LoP but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs were not following this norm.

"Normally the tradition is that those who come from abroad have a meeting with the LoP. This used to happen during (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee ji's time, Manmohan Singh ji's time, it has been a tradition but what happens these days is that when foreign dignitaries come and when I go abroad, the government suggests to them to not meet the LoP," Gandhi told reporters in Parliament House complex.

"This is their policy, they do this every time. They do it when I go abroad and when people come here. We get the message that they have been told that the government has said 'not to meet you'," the former Congress president said.

Highlighting the importance of such meetings, he said the LoP gives another perspective.

"We also represent India, only the government does not represent India. The government does not want that opposition leaders to meet foreign leaders. This is a tradition (visiting foreign dignitaries meeting LoP), a norm, but Modi ji does not follow this norm, foreign ministry does not follow this norm," Gandhi said without naming Putin.

Asked why the government was doing so, he said, "It is their insecurity".

Echoing her brother's views, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said it is a protocol that visiting dignitaries meet the LoP.

"All the policies of this government are based on one principle -- they want to capture everything, do not let other voices be heard, don't want to hear other people and are breaking protocols. Every democracy has a protocol which should be followed," she told reporters in the Parliament House complex.

"The government is very insecure that this is a reflection of it. When dignitaries come, they meet the LoP, this is protocol so what is the need to break that protocol. This can only be insecurity and nothing else," she said.

Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said the LoP meeting foreign dignitaries visiting India is a time-tested democratic tradition, so that India's international engagement is deeper and more meaningful.

"But those who only wish to speak their own Man ki Baat clearly have no regard for these traditions that serve as important pillars of our foreign policy engagement," Venugopal said on X.

Putin will arrive here this evening for a summit meeting with Prime Minister Modi.

Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit meeting between Modi and Putin on Friday that is expected to be closely watched by Western capitals. PTI ASK ZMN