Rare calm in Lok Sabha as PM speaks: Rahul MIA, Priyanka Gandhi leads Opposition
India Today
On a day primed for disruption over war and an LPG crisis, the Lok Sabha delivered an unexpected script: silence over slogans. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first statement, an unusually restrained Opposition, led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, chose to listen.
It was the 24th day of the Iran-US-Israel war, and in Delhi, the political temperature was expected to mirror the geopolitical one. The Opposition had been pressing the government to respond to the LPG crisis gripping the country, and as someone tracking both Parliament and the BJP beat, I walked into the day bracing for disruption.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore had already submitted a notice. The script I anticipated was: noisy protests, adjournments, sharp exchanges. But around noon, everything shifted. Word came in that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would make his first statement in the Lok Sabha on the war at 2 pm.
By 1.50 pm, I was in the press gallery, expecting a packed house and charged atmosphere. Instead, the room felt unusually sparse. A few reporters filtered in. Then, at 1.56 pm, four minutes ahead of schedule, the Prime Minister walked in, dressed in a crisp white kurta paired with a grey jacket.
As the doors opened and he made his way to his seat, BJP MPs broke into chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai.” Senior ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Kiren Rijiju were already in place.
Instinctively, I looked across at the Opposition benches for a reaction. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was there. So was Manickam Tagore. But key faces — Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal — were missing. Around 1.59 pm, Asaduddin Owaisi walked in.
What caught my attention next was subtle but significant. Tagore leaned over to speak briefly with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. It looked like a quick huddle — one that would quietly shape what followed.
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