Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday defended his decision to attend the banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in honour of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the occasion as “warm” and “engaging” and saying he did not consider it appropriate to decline an invitation from the President of India.
Speaking in Bengaluru, Tharoor said banquets for visiting heads of state are a routine diplomatic courtesy. “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 said. Tharoor added that he attended the event in his capacity as chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and had several “interesting conversations” during the evening.
Regret That Some Were Not Invited: Tharoor
Tharoor’s remarks came amid criticism from his own party after it emerged that Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were not invited to the banquet. While declining to be drawn into a political controversy, Tharoor said he regretted that some opposition leaders were left out. “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 said.
A day earlier, Tharoor had shared a social media post about the event, saying the atmosphere at the Rashtrapati Bhavan banquet was “warm and engaging” and that he especially enjoyed his conversations with members of the Russian delegation. The banquet was hosted as part of President Putin’s visit to India, which also marked 25 years of the India-Russia strategic partnership established in October 2000 during his first visit as president.
Welcoming Putin and his delegation, President Murmu said the visit was an important milestone in bilateral ties and acknowledged his personal commitment to what she described as the “special and privileged” strategic partnership between the two countries.
Congress Slams Exclusion of Opposition Leaders
The Congress on Friday accused the government of violating democratic conventions by not inviting the leaders of the opposition to the banquet. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that the government did not believe in democratic principles and was breaking protocol regularly.
“There is no invite to both the LoPs, Mr Mallikarjun Kharge and Mr Rahul Gandhi. This comes as a surprise, but I don’t think we should be surprised. This government is known to be breaching all protocols,” Khera said. On Tharoor attending the event, he added, “If our leaders don’t get invited and we get invited, we should listen to our conscience. Politics has been played in inviting or not inviting people, and those who accept such an invite are also questionable.”
Earlier, Tharoor had pointed out that there was a time when the chair of the External Affairs Committee was routinely invited to such official events, but that the practice appeared to have ended some years ago. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the government discourages visiting foreign dignitaries from meeting the Leader of the Opposition due to what he called the ruling dispensation’s “insecurity,” hours before President Putin’s two-day visit began.
