Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 6 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said that it would have been a "nice thing" if opposition leaders were present at the President's banquet hosted for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was on a two-day state visit to India.
He said he attended the program in his capacity as chair of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
"I don't want to get into controversies. I certainly do feel that in a democracy like ours, the opposition leaders could have been there. It would have been a nice thing. I was there more in my capacity as the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, and I must say I had some interesting conversations," Tharoor told reporters here.
"The fact is that this is a courtesy we extend to visiting heads of state and government to have a banquet for them. The President made a very gracious speech, and President Putin, in turn, was very warm in his reply. A large number of Russian delegates were present, along with several senior Indian officials," he added.
Responding to remarks made by his party colleagues, Tharoor said that he doesn't wish to get into a controversy and regretted the absence of some Congress leaders.
"I think they've spoken, and I don't want to wade into a controversy. I do regret that some of them were not invited. It's a shame that that happened. But as far as I'm concerned, I did not think it would be appropriate to reject an invitation from my Rashtrapati to attend a banquet in honour of a foreign president when I have a job that entails my involvement in foreign affairs issues," he added.
Tharoor, who represents Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha, was invited to a dinner hosted by President Putin, while Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have not received invitations.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain advised Rashtrapati Bhawan to rise above "partisan preferences and biases".
He said that President Droupadi Murmu, as the constitutional head of state, must ensure that traditions of bipartisan engagement are upheld. He said that the President of India has "departed" from the democratic tradition of inviting LoPs to the official dinner organised for foreign state heads.
"Departing from long standing democratic tradition, the President of India has not invited Leaders of Opposition in Parliament, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to the state banquet for Russian President Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan. As the constitutional head of state and host of the visit, President of India is expected to rise above partisan preferences and biases, and ensure that traditions of bipartisan engagement are upheld," Hussain posted on X.
"Deliberately excluding the Opposition from such interactions weakens India's institutional credibility and turns foreign affairs into yet another partisan battleground," he added.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi sparked a political row after claiming that the centre advises visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the LoP, arguing that this breaks an old tradition and reflects the government's "insecurity."
Sources confirmed that it was up to the visiting delegation to organise meetings outside the government."
"During a visit, MEA organises meetings for the incoming dignitary with Government officials and Government bodies. It is up to the visiting delegation to organise meetings outside the government," the government sources clarified.
"Since June 9, 2024, the following leaders have met the Leader of Opposition: Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on June 10, 2024, Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Ching on August 1, 2024, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia on August 21, 2024, Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam on September 16, 2025 and Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon on March 8, 2025," sources said.