Modi govt doesn’t want Opposition to meet Putin because of its insecurity: Rahul Gandhi

He said, “When I go abroad… and when people come here, they do it. We get the message that they have been told that the (Indian) government has told them not to meet me.”

Asked about the historic relations between India and Russia, Gandhi said: “Relations are there with everyone. The LoP gives a different perspective. India is also represented by us, not just the government. The government doesn’t want people from the Opposition to meet foreign dignitaries. This is a tradition and norm (to allow the Opposition to meet the foreign dignitaries), but Modiji and Foreign Affairs ministry doesn’t follow this.”

Questioned about the possible reason for this, Gandhi said: “It is because of insecurity.”

Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said that the LoP meeting foreign dignitaries visiting India is a “time-tested democratic tradition so that our international engagement is deeper and more meaningful”.

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

Hitting back, BJP MP Sambit Patra said that it is the delegations that come from abroad who decide whom they want to meet, and the MEA facilitates the meetings. “Since Rahul Gandhi became the Leader of the Opposition on June 9, 2024, I want to share whom he has met in India in that capacity. He met former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 10, 2024; Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on August 21, 2024; Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam on September 16, 2025; and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on March 8, 2025…” Patra told reporters outside the Parliament complex.

“On a day when a senior foreign dignitary like President Putin is visiting, creating such a controversy is an attempt by Rahul Gandhi to tarnish the country’s image that we strongly oppose,” he added.

Following a private dinner hosted by PM Modi and bilateral talks on Thursday, Putin is scheduled to address business leaders from both countries on Friday.

According to officials in the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides are working on the labour mobility agreement that will enable Indian skilled and semi-skilled professionals to work in Russia’s construction, healthcare and hospitality sectors. The document has been finalised and the internal processes are in the last stage, it is learnt.

The two sides will also focus on trade and economic ties, and negotiations are on for a potential free-trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.