Why Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not like Rahul Gandhi's hug-and-wink act

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan did not approve of Congress president Rahul Gandhi hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Congress.

The House looked stunned when Rahul walked toward PM Modi and gave him a tight bear hug after finishing his speech. Modi was a little surprised but quickly regained his composure, called Rahul as he was leaving and patted him on the back.

However, Mahajan chided Rahul for his "drama", observing that his act had violated the decorum of the house. She said she was not opposed to the hug itself. Modi was not merely a person while present in the House but the prime minister and has to be treated with decorum, she said.


Probably what provoked Mahajan was another act of Rahul after the hug. As he returned to his seat, he mischievously winked at a fellow Congress MP. The wink made his act appear as a mere stunt and not a genuine show of goodwill.

"Mainen kisi ko gale lagaane ke liye mana nahin kiya. Main bhi maa hun," Mahajan said. She said Rahul was not her enemy but like her own son, and it was a mother's role to correct a son.