It was a meeting that the Ministry of External Affairs didn’t list in its advisory on President Putin’s “official itinerary.” Even so, the Russian President set aside time during his one-day visit to meet with the leadership of the Congress party, including party president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Ms. Gandhi began the meeting by thanking Mr. Putin for meeting them in “different circumstances,” adding that the Congress “can take a bit of credit” for the “success” of his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, given the close relationship between the two sides during Dr. Singh’s tenure.
Mr. Putin replied that he believed their work together “and all we have done is not in vain, as it has created new opportunities” for India and Russia. The two decided to “improve relations” between the Russian ruling party “United Russia” and the Indian National Congress (INC).
The interaction, to which The Hindu was invited, took place at Mr. Putin’s hotel shortly before he headed to Rashtrapati Bhavan for President Pranab Mukherjee’s banquet. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and party spokesperson Anand Sharma were also present.
