Dinner invite for Shashi Tharoor but not Congress sparks protocol storm during Putin visit

A political row erupted in India on Thursday after it emerged that the Congress leadership had not been invited to the state dinner for visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin — even as party MP Shashi Tharoor received an invitation in his capacity as Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

Congress sources said the decision to exclude the party high command while inviting Tharoor alone was “highly unusual” and added a new flashpoint to an already tense day. When asked, Tharoor confirmed he would attend the dinner, saying, “I have received the invitation and I am going.”

The move sharpened criticism from the Opposition, coming just hours after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the government of actively discouraging visiting delegations from meeting him.

Speaking outside Parliament earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi said the Centre had been advising foreign delegations not to meet the LoP — breaking a long-standing convention maintained under both UPA and NDA governments.

“Meetings with the LoP traditionally take place when foreign delegations visit India. This has been a long-held practice during the terms of both Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” he said.

“But this government has deliberately attempted to scrap that precedent. It instructs foreign delegations not to meet the LoP. This is happening repeatedly, and it appears to have now become its official policy,” he added.

Several Congress leaders rallied behind Rahul Gandhi, saying the Modi government was undermining democratic norms and established parliamentary conventions.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “It is protocol that any visiting dignitary may meet the Leader of the Opposition if requested. However, this government wants everything to revolve around them and refuses to follow democratic norms.”

Shashi Tharoor, who was invited to the state dinner amid the controversy, said, “In a democracy, it is healthy for visiting leaders to meet representatives across the political spectrum,” while confirming separately that he would be attending.

Congress MP Tariq Anwar noted that it had “always been India’s tradition” for visiting foreign leaders to meet Opposition figures.

The Congress has signalled it may raise the matter formally, accusing the government of politicising institutional and diplomatic norms at a sensitive moment.

- with inputs from IANS