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President Vladimir Putin: Ms Gandhi, allow me to greet you once more. It is pleasant for me to resume working contacts with you. Last time, I believe we met here as well. At that time, it was a meeting with the leader of the opposition party. Now you have won the parliamentary elections, and above all I would like to congratulate you on this victory and on the trust shown by the Indian people.

The Gandhi family has done a great deal for the development of India itself and for the development of Russian-Indian relations. We have watched the internal political development of India with interest. We would like to congratulate you on the decision that you made in the interests of the Indian people. And, as it has always been in the political history of your family, you have put your interests below the interests of the people. You have put the interests of the people higher than your own.