'Govt Discourages Foreign Leaders From Meeting Opposition': Rahul Gandhi

Hours ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has accused the Narendra Modi government of discouraging visiting foreign leaders from meeting leaders of the Opposition. Gandhi said it is the government's "insecurity" that makes them abandon the long-followed tradition.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Gandhi said it has been a tradition that any visiting foreign leader has a meeting with the Leader of the Opposition.

"It used to happen during the governments of Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and Manmohan Singh ji. This has been a tradition. But these days, when foreign dignitaries come or even when I visit abroad, the government suggests that foreign leaders not meet the Leader of the Opposition. This is their policy, and they do it all the time," he alleged.