Thursday, February 6th, 2025

Mock interview, bag and T-shirt… how Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi made headlines in the winter session of Parliament

New Delhi: The winter session of Parliament saw all three Gandhis – Rahul, Priyanka and Sonia – come together in Parliament for the first time. Priyanka Gandhi took oath as the new MP after victory in Wayanad. Although Sonia Gandhi stayed away from the limelight, siblings Rahul and Priyanka redoubled their attack in Parliament to corner the BJP-led NDA government. During the session, both of them gave mock interviews, distributed flowers and clothes and also gave personal statements.

Wayanad MP in Kasavu saree

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took oath as MP in the Lok Sabha on November 28. Continuing Rahul’s tradition, he/she took oath with a copy of the Constitution in his/her hand. Earlier in June, Rahul Gandhi had also taken oath in the Lok Sabha with a copy of the Constitution in his/her hand. However, what was most talked about was her Kerala traditional Kasavu saree.
The white saree with golden border was more than just a fashion statement. This symbolized his/her association with Wayanad, the constituency that had sent him/her to Parliament with a landslide victory. With this, she also becomes the third generation of the Gandhi family to wear this iconic weave, which was earlier worn by Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Ahead of the swearing-in, a video of “proud brother” Rahul clicking pictures of Priyanka Gandhi had also gone viral.

Mock interview of Modi-Adani

During the protest in the Parliament complex by the Indian block on the Adani dispute, Rahul Gandhi conducted a mock interview on the issue. In this, Congress members were wearing masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani. After the sloganeering, Rahul Gandhi conducted interviews with Congress leaders wearing masks of PM Modi and Adani. The party shared the video clip of the ‘special interview’.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju later targeted Rahul Gandhi and termed it a ‘tamasha’. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also called Rahul a ‘comedian’ who is trying to remain relevant.

Rahul Gandhi gave gift to Rajnath Singh

As part of the protest on Adani issue, Rahul Gandhi gave a unique gift to Rajnath Singh. It was a rose and a national flag. On 11 December, as Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh was moving towards the entry gate of Parliament in his/her car, a Congress MP attempted to present him/her a rose and flag, but he/she ignored it at first.
However, Rahul Gandhi went ahead and approached Singh smilingly and gave the same gift. This was finally accepted by the Defense Minister. Many other Bharatiya Bloc MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were also waiting for the BJP MPs outside Parliament with roses and flags. A day earlier, MPs were seen carrying bags filled with cartoons of Prime Minister Modi and Adani after the government refused to hold any debate on the issue.

Priyanka’s tote bag collection

Who doesn’t love a good tote bag? Priyanka Gandhi definitely likes it. The Wayanad MP made a strong statement with her political fashion choices in her first session. On the first day, Priyanka carried a customized bag with the word ‘Palestine’ written on it. She reached Parliament with the bag. On December 16, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed shared the picture on X.
Mohammed wrote that Priyanka Gandhiji showed her solidarity with Palestine by carrying a special bag as a symbol of her support. A sign of commitment to compassion, justice and humanity! he/she clearly says that no one can violate the Geneva Convention,”

When the controversy escalated, Priyanka did not step back. They furthered their strategy with ‘Bangladesh’ bags displaying “solidarity with the Hindus and Christians of Bangladesh”.

Rahul Gandhi becomes ‘Man in Blue’

By the last week of the session, the focus shifted from Adani to Home Minister Amit Shah. Congress tried to corner BJP over Shah’s ‘anti-Ambedkar’ remarks in Rajya Sabha. For this protest, Rahul Gandhi finally took off his/her usual white polo T-shirt and wore a blue T-shirt. Blue color is associated with Dr. BR Ambedkar and Dalit identity.

This color gained political importance when Ambedkar founded the Scheduled Caste Federation in 1942. Also adopted the blue flag with Ashok Chakra. This flag was later adopted by the Republican Party of India, founded by Ambedkar in 1956. Over time the color blue became closely associated with Dalit identity and activism. Along with Rahul, Priyanka and other Congress MPs also wore blue clothes and demanded Shah to apologize for the remarks.

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