Union Ministers Prahlad Joshi and Ashwini Vaishnab were speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises when Leader of the Opposition Rahul entered with a smile on his face with his hands in his luggage pockets. What happened next can be seen as hilarious, regardless of which side of the divide you’re on or not.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi walks into the frame as Union Minister Prahlad Joshi speaks to the press in Parliament on Wednesday. (PTI video grab)”Let’s do it together,” Rahul said, trying to hold Joshi’s hand so they could all address reporters at once. Both the ministers moved away, not willing to engage in front of the press.
The Congress’ official handle and supporters were among those who shared an edited clip of the moment using Punjabi songs and the “Gangsta’ Moment” tag and filter.
BJP supporters did not see the humor in this. They termed Gandhi’s behavior “immature” and “criminal” – words the government is using for his behavior inside the Lok Sabha as well.
Rahul’s alleged cordial effort, or at least a moment of it, came when Parliament was disrupted over his complaints and comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Among the issues is General MM Naravane’s unpublished book – Manuscript for Defense Ministry’s approval – in which, according to Rahul, the former army chief wrote, Prime Minister Modi failed to give clear instructions when the Chinese came into Indian territory in 2020. The government disputed these claims, and the Delhi Police also registered an FIR over the circulation of the online version of the PDF book.
Another issue in the opposition-government deadlock is the Indo-US trade agreement framework. Rahul accused the government of “selling out” India’s interests, as “US President Donald Trump seems to have something on PM Modi that is compromising him”.
The government has repeatedly said Gandhi is making baseless allegations. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government would bring a breach of privilege motion against him.
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Meanwhile, the opposition has already moved a no-confidence motion against LS Speaker Om Birla, accusing him of bias towards the BJP-led NDA.
