MEA responds to Rahul Gandhi’s Meloni remarks, stresses India-Italy mutual respect

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday defended India’s relationship with Italy after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy and referred to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni while criticising what he described as an excessive focus on personal diplomacy.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India maintains strong and expanding ties with Italy and underlined the importance of mutual respect and understanding between the two countries. His comments came amid a political controversy triggered by Gandhi’s remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approach to international diplomacy.

“We have strong ties with Italy,” Jaiswal said while addressing a press conference in New Delhi. He added that relations between the two countries “in recent years have expanded and strengthened in every which way.”

The MEA spokesperson also stressed that diplomatic engagement should be conducted with respect for both sides. “It’s important that, as part of diplomatic practice, we strengthen our ties, keeping in mind and being respectful of each other. There’s mutual understanding between the two sides,” he said.

Jaiswal’s remarks came after Gandhi criticised the government’s foreign policy during a political event, arguing that the Prime Minister’s primary responsibility should be protecting India’s national interests rather than cultivating personal friendships with foreign leaders.

Gandhi said the Prime Minister of India was not simply visiting the home of a friend and argued that foreign policy should not be reduced to personal relationships between political leaders.

“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 went on to question the government’s emphasis on highly visible displays of warmth between leaders. Gandhi said he did not understand where the idea had come from that foreign policy meant “hugging politicians”.

To demonstrate his point, Gandhi then hugged Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit while speaking on stage. The exchange subsequently turned to Meloni, with Dikshit asking Gandhi in Hindi, “Ek cheez pooch sakta hoon? Meloni samajh ke toh nahi pakda tha?”

Gandhi replied, “I have not reached there yet.”

The remarks quickly triggered a political backlash, with senior BJP leaders accusing Gandhi of crossing the limits of political discourse and describing his comments as inappropriate.

The controversy has also brought the India-Italy relationship into the political spotlight. The MEA, however, sought to keep the focus on the broader diplomatic relationship, emphasising that bilateral ties have continued to grow and deepen.

India and Italy have maintained engagement across several areas, including trade, investment, technology, defence, education and strategic cooperation. Against that backdrop, Jaiswal’s comments appeared aimed at reinforcing the government’s position that diplomatic relations are based on institutional and national interests rather than merely personal equations between leaders.

The exchange has added another layer to the ongoing political battle between the Congress and BJP over Prime Minister Modi’s foreign policy, with Gandhi repeatedly questioning the government’s diplomatic strategy and the BJP defending Modi’s record of international engagement.