In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, Sonia Gandhi rushed into the well of the Lok Sabha Wednesday after a BJP MP had taken a personal jibe at her. When Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge was speaking on the adjournment motion on the Lalit Modi-Sushma Swaraj controversy, a few BJP MPs could repeatedly be heard making comments about “Rahul ki mausi”. At one point, a BJP MP was heard shouting, “Rahul ki mausi ko kitna paisa mila tha Lalit Modi se (How much money did Rahul’s aunt receive from Lalit Modi?).” [related-post] Sonia flew into a rage, got up from her front row seat and stormed into the well. “What did he say? What is this?” she could be heard asking. Other Congress MPs followed, including Rahul Gandhi. A stormy exchange followed. Sonia returned to her seat but did not sit. Visibly agitated, she kept trying to look through the crowd of Congress MPs in front of her, ostensibly to locate and counter the BJP MPs who had made the comments. As Congress MPs demanded an apology from the BJP MP who had shouted the jibe, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said, “Let me see first. What is it? I just do not know anything. How can I say? What is all this? I am sorry, I will have to see. I just do not know. I have already said nothing will go on record. I do not know. .. How can I know?” As the din got louder, the Speaker adjourned the House for almost an hour. Sonia didn’t leave immediately. She took her seat and could be seen talking animatedly to her MPs. At one point, Congress MP from Baharampur Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury walked up to her and clapped, showing appreciation for the way she had taken the Opposition on. Many other MPs, too, could be seen making congratulatory gestures. When the House re-assembled in the afternoon, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said no allegation should be made by anybody against any member, particularly an important leader, be it the Congress president, the PM or the BJP president. Naidu added the remark against Sonia had not, in any case, gone on record.
