Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the party over a remark involving Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling the exchange at a Congress event “disgraceful” and “shameful”.Sarma’s comments came after a video from the Rachnatmak Congress National Convention showed Gandhi speaking about the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy and making a reference to the Prime Minister’s public interactions with foreign leaders.During his speech, Gandhi argued that India’s foreign policy should be guided by the country’s national interests rather than personal friendships between political leaders. He said the Prime Minister’s responsibility was to protect India’s interests and not treat relations with foreign leaders as personal friendships.“You aren’t just visiting a friend’s house. In this role, the Prime Minister of India doesn’t engage in mere friendship. They have no interest in friendship; their job is to protect the country,” Gandhi said.
He also questioned the government’s approach to diplomatic engagement, saying, “I don’t know where it came from; this idea got into their heads… the idea that foreign policy means hugging politicians.”During the speech, Gandhi hugged Congress leader Sandeep Dixit on stage, apparently referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s well-known public embraces with foreign leaders. Dixit then made a quip, asking Gandhi, “You weren’t hugging me thinking I was Meloni?”The exchange drew criticism from Sarma, who reacted to a video of the incident on social media. The Assam Chief Minister accused the Congress’s “dynastic leadership” of making objectionable remarks about a woman leader of a friendly country.Sarma also questioned the reaction of people present at the event, saying that women on the stage and in the audience were seen laughing during the exchange.“This is not merely political indecency; it is also an attempt to sabotage India’s foreign relations,” Sarma said in a post on X.“When disrespect towards women becomes a source of amusement, it speaks volumes about the culture being encouraged. Disgraceful. Shameful,” he added.
The controversy comes amid a wider political debate over India’s foreign policy and the manner in which the country’s leadership engages with foreign governments and leaders. Gandhi has repeatedly questioned the Modi government’s approach, arguing that India’s diplomatic relations should be based primarily on national interests.The Congress event, meanwhile, provided the setting for a broader discussion of the party’s political position and its criticism of the government’s policies. Gandhi’s comments on foreign policy were part of that larger political argument, while Sarma’s response focused on the reference to Meloni and the manner in which it was made.The episode has since become another point of political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP, with leaders from both sides using the exchange to reinforce their respective arguments over political conduct, foreign policy and public discourse.For Sarma, however, the incident went beyond a political disagreement. His criticism centred on what he described as a lack of respect towards a woman leader from a country considered friendly to India, and he warned that such remarks could have implications for India’s diplomatic image.
