Don't react to remarks by INDIA bloc allies, Congress capable of dealing with issues: Rahul Gandhi to party MPs

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told party's Lok Sabha MPs Tuesday not to react to comments of "middle- and low-rung" leaders of INDIA bloc parties and asserted that the Congress as the largest party in the opposition grouping is capable of addressing issues, sources said. The advice by Gandhi comes amid various leaders of the INDIA bloc weighing in on the leadership issue and TMC leaders aggressively pitching for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to head the opposition alliance.

The sources said that Gandhi, who chaired a meeting of the party's Lok Sabha MPs at Parliament Annexe here this morning, also told the MPs to ensure that all of them are present for party's protest ahead of the Parliament sittings, especially when Congress president is participating.

They said Gandhi urged leaders not to react to comments of other opposition parties' "middle- and low-rung" leaders and stressed that the Congress as the largest party in the opposition grouping is capable of addressing issues.


Gandhi said 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 understood to have urged MPs to come up with innovative ideas of 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.

This is the latest in the series of unusual protests led by the Congress daily ahead of the sitting of Parliament in the morning.

The protest came a day after leaders of some INDIA bloc parties protested in Parliament complex over the Adani row, with Rahul Gandhi conducting a mock 'interview' over the issue with Congress members wearing masks of Modi and Adani.