Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told party MPs on Friday that the government appeared to be “under pressure” after a week of parliamentary confrontations at a review meeting he chaired.
Rahul, as leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, convened the routine mid-session huddle to assess how Congress lawmakers had fared in debates on Vande Mataram and election reforms.
Party sources said he underlined that the Opposition’s coordinated pitch had put the treasury benches on the defensive.
The meeting, held in the Lok Sabha office complex, saw lawmakers share feedback on the party’s messaging and the issues they believe have struck a chord with the public.
But Tharoor, the Thiruvananthapuram MP, was absent. He had informed the leadership beforehand about his unavailability, news agency ANI reported. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari was also missing.
Deputy leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi later told reporters that the MPs discussed how the party spotlighted current public concerns, from IndiGo flight disruptions to grinding air pollution and unresolved labour code anxieties.
Gogoi said the session also reviewed how party president Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Lok Sabha “brought the truth before the people” during the debate marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, arguing that the Congress blunted attempts to politicise the issue.
On election reforms, Gogoi said Rahul’s direct challenge to Union home minister Amit Shah over allegations of vote manipulation had shifted the tone of the debate.
“Everyone saw how Rahul Gandhi challenged the home minister on the floor of the House. The home minister was rattled and made some unparliamentary remarks,” he claimed.
Congress chief whip K. Suresh described the gathering a customary performance review that Rahul holds every session, adding that MPs’ views and concerns were sought in detail.
The debate on Vande Mataram has concluded in both Houses.
The more contentious debate on election reforms continues in the Rajya Sabha, where the Opposition is expected to keep pressing its objections to government proposals.
The review meeting came a day after Rahul sharpened his criticism of Amit Shah, telling reporters outside Parliament that the home minister looked “nervous” during his intervention.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament on Thursday, Gandhi claimed Shah appeared "nervous" during his intervention.
“Amit Shah was very nervous yesterday. He used the wrong language. His hands were trembling. He is under tremendous mental pressure,” Rahul said.