New Delhi: A political row erupted on Thursday after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi claimed that the government was deliberately preventing foreign dignitaries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, from meeting him, breaking what he described as a long-standing parliamentary tradition.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament ahead of Putin’s arrival in New Delhi for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, Rahul Gandhi said, “This has been a tradition. But these days, foreign dignitaries visit, or when I visit abroad, the government suggests that they don’t meet the LoP. This is their policy and they do it all the time.”

Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) were “insecure”, Gandhi said the Opposition, too, represents India and brin

See Full Page