Congress president Rahul Gandhi courted controversy on Thursday after he was seen checking his mobile phone while President Ram Nath Kovind was addressing a joint session of the Parliament.
While all other senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, were keenly listening to the President’s speech, Rahul, seated next to his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, was seen with his head down on the phone, not paying heed to what Kovind was saying.
The President was talking about the achievements of the Modi government for the past five years. He also mentioned the post-Uri surgical strikes and the Balakot airstrike. When the entire audience including Sonia Gandhi gave a hand in the beginning of his speech, Rahul was seen with his hands folded.
Even after leaving his phone, Rahul was seen chatting with Sonia Gandhi. This continued for some time, and once again the Congress chief failed to give a hand, while the entire parliament did. He was also seen holding his mother's hand, while she was clapping for the President’s speech. Even towards the last few minutes of the speech, Rahul forced himself to take his mobile out.
