New Delhi, June 10 – In a break from the bitter rivalry they had made in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his political rival Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi shook hands warmly and exchanged pleasantries.
This, however, was not all that was in store at the Central Hall of the Parliament on Monday: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP veteran L K Advani chatted intermittently during a joint session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, which was addressed by President Pranab Mukherjee.
The exchange of greetings between Modi and the Congress Vice-President caught the attention of everybody. The Prime Minister was seen warmly grabbing Rahul’s hand. Modi greeted Rahul, who was seated in the eighth row along with senior Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Jairam Ramesh.
As soon as Modi, dressed in his usual half kurta and jacket, came close to Rahul, he held his hand. The gesture brought an instant smile on the Congress leader’s face. Modi’s gesture is a break from the narrative that had been set in the recent past. The PM and Gandhi had, while campaiging for the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, often attacked each other.
-INDIA TODAY
