5 months ago
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The Congress connected Friday (December 5, 2025) said enactment President and Leaders of the Opposition (LoP) successful the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and his Lok Sabha counterpart, Rahul Gandhi, were not invited to the authoritative banquet hosted successful honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Congress wide caput (communications) Jairam Ramesh, successful an X post, said speculation implicit whether the 2 LoPs had been invited could present beryllium enactment to rest. “The 2 LoPs person not been invited,” Mr. Ramesh said.
His workfellow and caput of the party’s media department, Pawan Khera told PTI that the authorities had routinely disregarded protocol. “There is nary invitation for Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi. This is disappointing but not surprising. This authorities is known for breaching protocol connected a regular basis,” helium said.
When asked astir his enactment workfellow and Lok Sabha subordinate Shashi Tharoor accepting an invitation to the banquet, Mr. Khera said, “Ask Mr. Tharoor. If our leaders are not invited but we are, we indispensable question our ain conscience. There is authorities down who is invited and who is not, and accepting specified an invitation is besides questionable. We would person listened to our dependable of conscience.”
Mr. Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee connected External Affairs, told reporters that the signifier of inviting the Committee’s seat had been discontinued for immoderate years but appeared to person resumed. “I person been invited, yes. I volition decidedly go,” helium said.
On Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi not being invited, Mr. Tharoor said helium did not cognize connected what ground the impermanent database was drawn up. He recalled that earlier, invitations were extended wide crossed parties, including to some Leaders of Opposition. “It conveyed a bully impression,” helium said, adding, “This is each done by the government, by protocol, by Rashtrapati Bhavan. I person nary idea. I americium honoured to person been invited.”
On Thursday, Mr. Gandhi alleged that the authorities discourages visiting overseas dignitaries from gathering the Leader of the Opposition retired of “insecurity”. He said a long-standing contented — followed during the tenures of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh — of LoPs gathering overseas leaders was nary longer being observed.
“When overseas dignitaries come, oregon erstwhile I question abroad, the authorities suggests to them to not conscionable the LoP,” Mr. Gandhi had told reporters.
(With PTI inputs)
