Congress president Rahul Gandhi took the Prime Minister by surprise by giving him a hug immediately after slamming the government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on a host of issues ranging from loan waiver to Rafale deal.
Seconds after ending his speech, Gandhi walked across the floor of the House to where PM Narendra Modi was seated and gave him a hug.
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But the hug itself was not without drama. As the PM saw Gandhi approaching, he extended his hand towards Gandhi while seated. The 48-year-old Congress chief was seen gesturing the PM to stand up. When that didn’t happen, Gandhi was seen quickly giving a tight hug to a visibly flustered PM.
As Gandhi tried to walk away, PM Modi signaled him to come back. The two leaders then shook hands and a smiling PM was then seen muttering something to the young Congress president.
It was apparently Gandhi’s political score against the BJP. Before walking over to hug the PM, Gandhi delivered a self-deprecating dig aimed at his opponents.
He stressed that the Congress has no hatred for anyone, not even the BJP.
“You have hatred for me. You have anger against me. I am Pappu to you. But I do not have an ounce of hate for any of you,” Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha calling out his opponents who make fun of him using the slang.
After the hug, Gandhi came back to his desk and said, “PM Modi, BJP and RSS have taught me what it means to be a Congress person, the meaning of being a real Indian, and what it means to be a real Hindu. For this, I thank them.”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor posted a tweet in praise of his party chief for the sudden hug.
“What an astonishing performance by @RahulGandhi. It was a game-changing speech, tearing apart the Govt ’s claims & ending with that unscripted hug that has literally taken the BJP’s breath away #BhukampAaGaya,” he wrote.
What an astonishing performance by @RahulGandhi. It was a game-changing speech, tearing apart the Govt ’s claims & ending with that unscripted hug that has literally taken the BJP’s breath away #BhukampAaGaya
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 20, 2018
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala wrote, “A Jadu ki Jahappi full of unselfish love can stop every storm of hate.”
निश्छल मोहब्बत के जादू की एक झप्पी,
नफ़रत की हर आँधी को रोक सकती है।#JaduKiJhappi #NoConfidenceMotion #JumlaStrike pic.twitter.com/YLfrMk6nT0— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 20, 2018