Senior opposition leaders keep off Rahul Gandhi’s press conference

NEW DELHI: Though around 10 Opposition parties are part of the ‘united protest’ in the ongoing Parliament session, only five of them joined Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s joint press conference at Parliament House on Wednesday.

The fact that many senior leaders of other Opposition parties — especially leaders of BSP, SP, JD(U), RJD, who join the united strategy session daily called by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad — chose to keep off Gandhi’s press conference is seen as their way of drawing a lakshman rekha against playing second fiddle to Gandhi.

While those who flanked Gandhi at press conference were Trinamool nominees Sudip Bandyopadhyay, NCP’s Tariq Anwar, CPM’s P Karunakaran, RSP’s NK Premachandran and AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal, absentees were JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, BSP’s Satish Mishra, SP’s Ramgopal Yadav, RJD’s Jay Prakash Yadav and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury who chose to send his colleague Karunakaran.

On its part, Congress managers ensured Gandhi was seated in the middle on a larger chair, leaving the rest to occupy ordinary chairs.