Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses — Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge — were not invited to the dinner hosted for Russian President Vladimir Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, though Congress MP Shashi Tharoor did receive an invite. The dinner is being hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.

Confirming the omission, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, “There has been speculation whether the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha have been invited for tonight's official dinner in honour of President Putin. The two LoPs have not been invited.”

The move comes a day after Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of breaking “tradition” by ensuring that neither he nor “a representative of the Opposi

See Full Page