Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s hug and wink episode was raised during a debate in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju citing it to argue that the Leader of Opposition is “not serious” in his conduct.
“I have never seen such a leader, who comes and hugs the prime minister, then goes back to his seat and winks at fellow party MPs ('aankh maarta hai'),” Rijiju said in Hindi while speaking in the House. Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were not present at the time.
Rijiju was speaking during the discussion on a no-confidence motion moved by the Congress-led Opposition against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging biased conduct.
The minister referred to an incident from 2018 when Rahul Gandhi walked across the Lok Sabha to hug then Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a speech.
At the time, Rahul had said he wanted to “clean your hearts of hatred, and ignite love instead”, presenting the Congress as a “party for every Indian” and the BJP as a “divisive force”.
The gesture was criticised by the BJP as “childish”. Prime Minister Modi had responded by awkwardly hugging Rahul back and shaking his hand.
Rahul Gandhi’s sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra responded after Rijiju concluded his speech.
“They are unable to digest what the Leader of Opposition (Rahul) says, because in the last 12 years (of Narendra Modi as PM), he is the only one who has refused to bow,” she said.
Priyanka also took a swipe at BJP MPs for invoking former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
“They (BJP-led NDA government's MPs) say I keep smiling when they speak. I smile, I laugh because they are suddenly praising Jawaharlal Nehru, whom they otherwise abuse, for his speech when a motion was brought against the LS Speaker of the time (in the 1950s),” she said.
Rijiju had earlier urged the Opposition to “remember at least” what Nehru said while defending the then Speaker GV Mavalankar.
Rijiju concluded his speech by reciting a couplet by poet Muztar Khairabadi, written about the last Mughal ruler Bahadurshah Zafar.
“Na kisi ki aankh ka noor hun, na kisi ke dil ka qaraar hun; jo kisi ke kaam na aa sake, main woh ek musht-e-ghubar hun.”
The lines roughly translate to: “I'm not the light of any eye, for me none has a care; no use to anyone am I, a fistful of dust merely scattered.”
Earlier in the debate, Rijiju also responded to Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi’s claim that Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to speak in the House.
“That day I was upset for the fact that the Opposition MP said that 'I do not need permission from anyone to speak in Parliament'. This is on record,” Rijiju said.
Taking further jibes at the Opposition amid sloganeering, he added that there was “no cure” if someone believed they were “above the speaker”.
Accusing Congress MPs of attempting to “decide on who will sit on the chair”, Rijiju said, “It is so unfortunate that they want to steal this right (from ruling party).”
As the debate began, Gaurav Gogoi took a dig at Rijiju.
“In future when there will be research on parliamentary records and transcripts are looked at, statistics will tell that Kiren Rijiju was the parliamentary affairs minister, who interrupted the Opposition the most,” he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended Rijiju, saying such interruptions are necessary when parliamentary rules are not followed.
Shah is scheduled to speak on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the motion seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.
Om Birla has stayed away from the proceedings during the debate. As there has been no deputy speaker since 2019, senior members from the NDA have been presiding over the Lok Sabha.
Dispute linked to Naravane manuscript row
The dispute over the Speaker’s conduct is rooted in an earlier controversy involving Rahul Gandhi.
During the first half of the budget session, Rahul displayed excerpts from an unpublished memoir, ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, written by former Indian Army chief General MM Naravane.
Rahul claimed the manuscript “exposed” Prime Minister Modi’s failure to take responsibility during the 2020 border conflict with China.
The government argued that referring to a manuscript that had not been cleared by the Ministry of Defence was illegal and violated parliamentary rules.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the purported contents were “incorrect” and added that the author could have gone to court if he disagreed with the ministry holding back approval since at least 2023.
