Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India on 4th December for the 23rd India Russia annual summit, Congress MP and LoP Rahul Gandhi once again tried to spark a political controversy. He claimed that the government has blocked him and other opposition leaders from meeting the Russian President. The government of India dismissed his claims, stating that it is upon the visiting delegation to organise meetings outside government schedule.
While the Modi government is focusing on high-level diplomatic engagements, the opposition is trying to stir yet another political controversy with such claims.
Rahul Gandhi’s routine allegation over protocol
While speaking to reporters, Gandhi insisted that earlier governments arranged meetings between visiting leaders and the Leader of the Opposition. However, he did not cite any formal requirement or diplomatic protocol that mandates such interactions. He rather just claimed that the current government discourages foreign leaders from meeting him during their visits.
#WATCH | Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "…It usually is a tradition that whoever visits from outside has a meeting with LoP. It used to happen during the governments of Vajpayee ji, Manmohan Singh ji. This has been a tradition. But these days, foreign… pic.twitter.com/5PxmGtiDCn
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025
Gandhi claimed that the Prime Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs had deviated from past practice. He called it “insecurity” of the current government. The remarks came at a time when the Modi government is expected to hold substantive discussions with the Russian side on defence, energy, and long-term strategic cooperation.
The Government of India dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that he was blocked from meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that it is up to the visiting delegation to organize meetings outside the government schedule.
Government dismisses opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's claims of being blocked from meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit, stating it is "up to the visiting delegation to organise meetings outside the government schedule". https://t.co/jhbD6tX5tn
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) December 4, 2025
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale responded by saying that the government did not block any meeting between Putin and the opposition. He said if the opposition wanted to meet Putin, they should have formally asked for it.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale says, "… Here, discussions will take place on many issues. There will be a significant increase in trade between India and Russia, benefiting both countries. Rahul Gandhi and… pic.twitter.com/Ywz6jsnEwQ
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2025
Athawale also said that the claims about PM Modi being insecure are not true, emphasising that no leader is more confident than Modi.
Putin’s Visit – Focus on strengthening India-Russia ties
Putin’s visit is the first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and comes at an important time. During the two-day trip, Putin will meet with India’s President Droupadi Murmu and attend a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after his arrival.
According to Yury Ushakov, a presidential aide, discussions will focus on trade, economic cooperation, and promising projects in different fields like industrial collaboration, advanced technologies, transport, space exploration, mining healthcare, and labour migration. Political talks between India and Russia remain regular and confidential, he added.
The visit also holds extra importance because it follows the US imposing 50% tariffs on Indian imports just a few months ago. Both countries are expected to use this summit to strengthen their defence cooperation, trade, and energy ties.
