Shashi Tharoor Shares Impressions From President Murmu’s Banquet For Putin During India Visit

Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was the sole Opposition leader invited to the lavish state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for Russian President Vladimir Putin at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the night of December 5, 2025. Describing the evening as marked by a “warm and engaging atmosphere”, Tharoor posted photographs and a brief note on X, highlighting his enjoyment of conversations with members of the Russian delegation seated beside him. The dinner, held in the grand Durbar Hall, served as the ceremonial finale to Putin’s two-day official visit to India and came hours after he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded extensive talks on defence, energy, trade, and nuclear cooperation.

Tharoor’s presence stood out amid an otherwise government-heavy guest list that included Cabinet ministers, service chiefs, and top bureaucrats. The Congress leader, known for his diplomatic fluency in Russian and long-standing advocacy for strong India-Russia ties, shared the table with Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi and senior Russian officials. “Enjoyed my conversations with many of the attendees, especially my dining companions from the Russian delegation!” he wrote, earning thousands of appreciative responses online within hours.

During his toast, President Putin praised the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between the two nations and referred to the joint declaration adopted earlier that day with PM Modi, which covers politics, security, economy, energy, education, and humanitarian ties. The document notably includes Russia’s commitment to help build India’s largest nuclear power plant and deepen collaboration on counter-terrorism and the BrahMos missile programme. Putin’s visit, his first bilateral trip to India since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022, reaffirmed Moscow’s role as New Delhi’s top defence supplier and a key source of discounted crude oil.

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Tharoor’s attendance drew attention in political circles, especially after National Conference leader Omar Abdullah’s recent remark that the Congress-led INDIA bloc was “on life support” following its poor performance in the Bihar elections. The Congress MP’s participation in a high-profile government-hosted event was seen by some as a rare moment of cross-party representation on foreign policy, an area where India has traditionally maintained bipartisan consensus.

The banquet itself featured an elaborate vegetarian menu that included jhol momos, gucchi doon chetin, and other regional delicacies, symbolising India’s cultural hospitality. For Tharoor, a former UN Under-Secretary-General with deep personal and intellectual ties to Russia, the evening offered both protocol and genuine engagement, evident in his enthusiastic social media update.

As Putin departed for Moscow on Saturday morning, the image of an Opposition stalwart breaking bread with the Russian delegation underscored that, at least in the realm of India-Russia relations, diplomatic courtesies can occasionally transcend domestic political divisions. The “engaging atmosphere” Tharoor highlighted may not resolve partisan battles at home, but it served as a quiet reminder of the enduring strategic warmth that continues to define one of India’s oldest and most resilient international partnerships.

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