Rahul Gandhi takes keen interest in debate on women atrocities

NEW DELHI: A day after storming the Well, Rahul Gandhi was again active in Lok Sabha today as he batted for more time to a Congress party colleague speaking passionately on the issue of atrocities against women and children.

Rahul, who was sitting in the fourth row, was listening to the discussion and was also seen talking to Congress members Jyotiraditya Scindia.

He even thumped the desk after Ranjeet Ranjan, a Congress MP from Bihar, ended her speech.

As Ranjan had exhausted her alloted time of 11 minutes to speak on the issue, the Chair asked her to take her seat. The Congress members, however, demanded that she be allowed to speak as the issue was of importance.

Rahul, along with other Congress members, demanded that Ranjan be alloted two more minutes.

Yesterday, the Congress Vice President had raked up the issue of "rising" communal violence and later said that Opposition is not being given time in the House to discuss the issue.

Normally reticent and a back-bencher, Rahul - a third time member of the House - entered the Well for the first time to join his party members in pressing for an adjournment motion to discuss the incidents of communal violence.