NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday told his party MPs not to react to comments of “middle- and low-rung” leaders from the INDIA bloc while asserting that the Congress party, being the largest in the alliance, was capable of addressing issues.
The sources told news agency PTI that Rahul Gandhi, who chaired a meeting of the party’s Lok Sabha MPs at Parliament Annexe this morning, also told the MPs to ensure that all of them are present for the party’s protest ahead of the Parliament sittings, especially when Congress president is participating.
The Lok Sabha leader of the opposition’s advice to his party members comes amid several of his allies, directly or passively, expressing willingness for someone beyond the Congress fold to lead the anti-BJP INDIA bloc. The one name that most of them have approved is of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
Demand for someone else to lead the INDIA bloc gained ground after Congress faced a massive rout in the Maharashtra elections.
As the tension simmers in the opposition alliance, Rahul Gandhi assured the protests by opposition on the Adani issue was making the government jittery and they must continue to raise people’s issues.
The leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha stressed that he wanted the House to function so that opposition voice is heard, party sources said.
Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also learned to have urged MPs to come up with innovative ideas for protest as had been seen in the past few days.
Soon after the meeting, several opposition MPs demonstrated over the Adani issue in Parliament premises, carrying black ‘jholas’ (bags) with caricatures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and billionaire Gautam Adani printed on it and ‘Modi Adani Bhai Bhai’ written on the obverse side.
Opposition MPs led by Rahul Gandhi on Monday staged a protest and also a mock “interview” over the the Adani issue to corner the BJP-led NDA government.
Wearing masks, two opposition MPs impersonated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and billionaire Gautam Adani, responding to questions posed by Rahul Gandhi.