Overview
- Rahul Gandhi alleged the Centre and the MEA advise visiting dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition, calling it a break from precedent and a sign of government ‘insecurity’.
- Government sources rejected the charge and said the MEA facilitates only official government calls, while any meetings with opposition leaders are arranged at the discretion of the visiting delegation.
- BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni shared photos and a list of engagements to counter the claim, naming meetings Rahul Gandhi held with Sheikh Hasina, Anwar Ibrahim, Christopher Luxon, Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Vietnam’s Pham Minh Chinh since June 2024.
- Congress figures Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K. C. Venugopal backed Rahul Gandhi, asserting that meetings with the LoP are a democratic protocol that the current government is undermining.
- The political dispute is unfolding on the day of Vladimir Putin’s two-day Delhi visit, with an informal dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and there is no independent confirmation of any formal policy barring LoP meetings.