No Confidence motion debate: Rahul Gandhi's wink says it all
Amid all the theatrics in Parliament today (July 20), Rahul Gandhi surely was at his best. While the Congress president started his speech with a slightly shaky tone, by the time it ended, Gandhi managed to shake the ground under everybody's feet. Well, almost.
From demonetisation to GST, unemployment, Rafale deal and foreign policy, the Gandhi scion sounded fiesty to the core with an equally fiery speech against the Modi government.
About that hug and a wink!High points of Rahul Gandhi's speech#ITPhotoblog #NoConfidenceMotion@RahulGandhi @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/gF46pPSI26
— India Today (@IndiaToday) July 20, 2018
The hug was meant to be a political master stroke. Caught the PM off guard. A show of compassion towards an adversary. The jadu ki jhappi. The wink the next moment showed it was a mere political stunt. pic.twitter.com/xrY7ETkTNI
— Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) July 20, 2018
In perhaps his sharpest attack on PM Modi, the Congress president kept badgering the PM: "You can't look me in the eye." The PM, in response, was seen smiling calmly.
It seemed like Rahul Gandhi had bottled up his emotions for too long and all of those feelings came out when he said: "You can abuse me, you can call me Pappu, but I don’t have any hatred against you. I will take this hatred out of you and turn it into love."
And then came the biggest political surprise of the year — Rahul Gandhi after finishing his speech walks up to Modi, the PM looks at him, rather taken aback, and offers a handshake. And then the Congress president hugs the PM — a long-drawn tight hug.
Who would have expected Rahul Gandhi to end his speech with a hug! But after he returned to his seat, he was caught winking, in all likelihood, at a colleague, leaving many wondering what just hit them.
Rahul Gandhi winks inside the parliament during the debate on #NoConfidenceMotion today. Is that what the Congress has reduced the parliamentary debate to now? pic.twitter.com/HsL9jyfh5s
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) July 20, 2018
An insincere hug of @narendramodi followed by a sly wink to co-dynast @JM_Scindia drives @RahulGandhi’s fanboys & girls into paroxysms of excitement #NoCofidenceMotion
— Minhaz Merchant (@MinhazMerchant) July 20, 2018
There are indeed many a slip between a hug and a wink.