Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the government of systematically keeping opposition leaders away from visiting foreign dignitaries, a practice he said was respected by previous administrations but has now been 'abandoned'.

Gandhi, speaking ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrival in New Delhi , argued that the Opposition's meetings with foreign delegations were a long-standing parliamentary norm.

"It used to happen during the governments of Vajpayee ji and Manmohan Singh ji. This has been a tradition. But these days, when foreign dignitaries visit or when I travel abroad, the government advises them not to meet the LoP. We, too, represent India. It is not just the government," Rahul Gandhi said while speaking to reporters outsi

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