The state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in honour of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin became the setting for a minor diplomatic and significant political controversy. Amid a row over the exclusion of top opposition figures, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was seen greeting Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the event, an interaction that quickly highlighted the deepening rift between the veteran diplomat-politician and his own party leadership.

The core of the controversy stemmed from the guest list. Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, were reportedly not invited to the high-profile diplomatic dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This exclusion drew swift criticism from the Congres

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