- By Priyanka Koul
- Fri, 05 Dec 2025 06:52 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor, has been invited to attend the state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a two-day state visit to India. The Congress Party on Friday asserted that its national president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, have not been invited to the state banquet hosted by the President.
As reported by Times Now, Shashi Tharoor, the MP for Thiruvananthapuram, has received an invitation to attend the dinner.
Shashi Tharoor confirmed that he had received an invitation to the state banquet at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where Russian President Vladimir Putin will be honoured during his two-day visit to India. However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were notably excluded from the high-profile event.
"Yes, I have got the invitation. I certainly should be going," Tharoor told Times Now.
When asked about the absence of Rahul Gandhi’s invitation, Tharoor expressed surprise, "I am surprised about that. I did not know about that. I have been invited in the capacity as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee."
According to sources cited by News18, Tharoor's diplomatic expertise, particularly his extensive experience as a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General, is believed to have contributed to his invitation. Additionally, his long-standing involvement with Russian diplomacy is thought to have influenced the decision.
President Droupadi Murmu will host the state banquet this evening at Rashtrapati Bhavan in line with the tradition of honouring visiting heads of state with a ceremonial dinner at the presidential palace.
The senior Congress leader has also publicly supported Prime Minister Modi on several occasions. Earlier this year, in June, Tharoor wrote an article in which he lauded Prime Minister Modi’s energy, dynamism, and willingness to engage, describing them as a "prime asset" for India on the global stage qualities that, he said, deserve greater international backing.
This comes after Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday. Gandhi alleged that the central government regularly advises foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition due to its "insecurity". He stated that it was customary for visiting foreign dignitaries to meet the Leader of the Opposition, a practice that had been followed during the tenures of former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.
“Normally, the tradition is that foreign dignitaries meet the LoP. This used to happen during Vajpayee ji's time, Manmohan Singh ji's time; it has been a tradition. But nowadays, when foreign dignitaries come, and when I go abroad, the government tells them not to meet the LoP,” Gandhi told reporters at Parliament House.
“This is their policy. They do it every time, whether I go abroad or when people come here. We receive the message that they’ve been told by the government, 'not to meet you'," Gandhi added, as quoted by PTI.
Putin’s visit to India marks his first in four years, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.