Shashi Tharoor Invited to Putin State Dinner, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge Left Out

A fresh political controversy unfolded on Friday after it became public that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor received an invitation to the state banquet held for Russian President Vladimir Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan, while the two most senior leaders of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, did not. The selective guest list immediately drew criticism from within the Congress and revived an ongoing internal debate about loyalty, dissent, and political messaging.

Putin arrived in New Delhi for a two day official visit for the annual summit meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As part of the visit, President Droupadi Murmu hosted a formal dinner that brought together select dignitaries, diplomats, and members of Parliament. According to Congress sources who spoke to The Indian Express, the invitations did not include Rahul Gandhi, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, or Mallikarjun Kharge, who holds the same position in the Rajya Sabha. Tharoor, however, was invited and confirmed that he planned to be present at the dinner.

The exclusion of the two Opposition leaders comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Indian politics. Only one day before the dinner, Rahul Gandhi publicly accused the Modi government of disregarding established parliamentary practice by deliberately preventing the Opposition leadership from meeting visiting heads of state. He asserted that ignoring the Leader of the Opposition in such key diplomatic engagements signals a break from tradition and reveals what he described as the government’s insecurity. In this context, the invitation extended to Tharoor but not to the two principal Opposition figures has prompted fresh speculation about the government’s intentions and the political messaging behind the guest list.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera responded strongly to the development. He said that the situation raises questions about both the authorities who sent such selective invitations and the individual who accepted it. According to Khera, every public figure must act according to their conscience. He added that if he or his colleagues had been invited in place of Rahul Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge, they would have declined out of respect for the position held by the Opposition leadership. His comments reflect a broader discomfort within the party, where Tharoor’s recent statements and writings have sparked repeated debates.

Tharoor, who is now in his fourth term in Parliament, has found himself at the center of internal party criticism several times this year. Earlier, he wrote a newspaper article that praised the rapid rise of the start up ecosystem in Kerala under the current Left government. He described the state as an emerging model for innovation and sustainable development. His remarks drew sharp reactions from the Kerala Congress leadership, who argued that his words unintentionally strengthened the political narrative of their main rival in the state.

Another wave of controversy followed when Tharoor wrote an article on dynasty politics in India. In this piece, he argued that the Nehru Gandhi family shaped the idea that leadership can be inherited, and he stated that dynastic politics poses a serious threat to democratic processes. He called for a shift from inherited leadership structures to merit based systems. These comments were interpreted within the Congress as an indirect critique of the party’s central leadership. They also appeared at a time when the Congress was attempting to present a unified and disciplined public image.

Against this backdrop, the invitation to Tharoor for the state dinner has carrying symbolic weight. Political observers suggest that the government’s choice of invitees could be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to highlight differences within the Congress. Others view it as an effort to show outreach to select members of the Opposition while bypassing its top leaders. Tharoor has not commented publicly on the criticism directed at him, apart from confirming that he intended to attend the event.

As Putin’s visit continues, public attention has drifted away from the diplomatic content of the summit toward the political implications of the Rashtrapati Bhavan guest list. Whether this episode leads to a deeper internal dispute within the Congress remains to be seen. Much will depend on how the party leadership addresses the issue and how Tharoor’s participation in the dinner is perceived by his colleagues and supporters.