Priyanka Gandhi Accuses Centre of Blocking LoP’s Meetings With Foreign Dignitaries

By A Staff Reporter

Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday sharply criticised the Central government over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that the Ministry of External Affairs and the government were preventing him from meeting visiting foreign dignitaries. She termed the practice “strange” and a violation of long-established democratic protocol.

Addressing reporters, Priyanka Gandhi said that it is standard procedure for foreign dignitaries to meet the Leader of Opposition during official visits, and any deviation from this practice reflects the government’s discomfort with allowing alternative viewpoints. “It’s strange. It is protocol that visiting dignitaries meet the LoP. But this government's policy is based on not allowing other voices to rise,” she said.

She further questioned the reasoning behind such restrictions, suggesting that the decision stemmed from political insecurity. “I do not know what kind of fear and insecurity they have. In a democracy, everyone should have the right to express their views,” she added.

The Congress leader asserted that obstructing the opposition’s engagement with foreign representatives is detrimental to the health of democratic institutions. Calling it a “reflection” of the government's insecurity, she warned that such actions “endanger our democracy.”