NEW DELHI: Political civility between netas of opposite camps in the Parliament complex isn’t as visible as it was in the past. But on Saturday, on the sidelines of a function at Prerna Sthal within the Parliament premises to mark Mahatma Jyotiba Phule’s 200th birth anniversary, there was a rare and interesting exchange.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come to pay his respects at the event. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister J P Nadda, and several others were already present. So was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. When the prime minister arrived and spotted Rahul in the gathering, he did not simply nod and move on. He walked over, greeted him, and asked about the health of his mother. “How is Sonia ji?” the prime minister was heard asking. Those standing nearby caught the exchange.
Rahul apparently hadn’t expected the query. There was a brief moment of surprise. But he responded quickly, apprising the PM about his mother’s health, her recent hospitalisation in Delhi, and how she was subsequent convalescence.
Sonia was recently admitted at a Delhi hospital and recently discharged.
Even though Modi and Rahul spoke for a few minutes, the conversation was unhurried, the kind you might exchange with someone you have known for years under different circumstances. Ministers and officials, including Nadda and Birla, looked on with interest, and perhaps surprise, at such an unusual moment between the country’s two major leaders.
For a brief while, they seemed removed from the sharp edges of political rivalry and one-upmanship, especially during poll time.