Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:07pm on 14 Aug 2026,Friday Politics
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday stressed the strong ties between India and Italy after a political exchange involving Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy at a party event. He questioned the idea of “hug diplomacy” and hugged party leader Sandeep Dikshit on stage. Dikshit then made a reference to Meloni. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s ties with Italy have expanded and strengthened in recent years. He said diplomatic discussions should remain respectful. The BJP also criticised Gandhi, accusing him of crossing the limits of political discourse.
