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Shashi Tharoor News: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has confirmed that he will attend the dinner given in President Putin’s honour, calling it his ‘duty’. However, he slammed the government for not inviting Rahul Gandhi and said that protocol should have been followed. Vivek Tankha termed it as insecurity of the government, while BJP says that the meeting depends on the wishes of the guest.
New Delhi: Amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, political turmoil has once again erupted over protocol and tradition. At the center of the controversy is Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi not being invited for a meeting or dinner with the Russian President. On this issue, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor has cornered the government in a very measured manner. Although Tharoor has made it clear that he will participate in the government program, but he has also reminded the government of ‘Rajdharma’ and ‘Protocol’. Shashi Tharoor clearly said that he will go to the program organized in the honor of President Putin on the invitation of the government. He enumerated both his compulsion and responsibility. Tharoor said, ‘The government has invited me as the chairman of the parliamentary committee on the External Affairs Department. In such a situation, it is my duty to go, so I will go there.
But, soon after this, Tharoor raised questions on the intentions of the government. When he was asked about not inviting Rahul Gandhi, he said, “I don’t know whether Rahul Gandhi has been invited or not. Ask the person whose responsibility it is to invite. I think it would have been better if he had been invited.” Tharoor stressed that traditions and protocols should be followed in democracy. The government should have done its work as per protocol, which seems to be broken in this case.
What did Shashi Tharoor say today?
