A heated exchange unfolded in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju invoked an old “hug and wink” moment involving Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi while speaking during a debate on a motion brought by the Opposition against Speaker Om Birla.

During his speech, Rijiju questioned Rahul Gandhi’s seriousness as Leader of Opposition and referred to the widely discussed incident from 2018 when the Congress leader walked across the House to hug Prime Minister Narendra Modi after delivering a speech and later winked at party colleagues.

“I have never seen such a leader who comes, hugs the Prime Minister, goes back to his seat, and then winks at fellow MPs,” Rijiju said in Hindi. Neither Rahul Gandhi nor Modi was present in the House when the remarks were made.

The parliamentary affairs minister was speaking against a no-confidence motion moved by the Congress-led Opposition against Om Birla, accusing him of biased conduct in the functioning of the Lok Sabha.

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The “hug and wink” reference goes back to the 2018 no-confidence debate against the NDA government, when Rahul Gandhi concluded his speech by saying he wanted to “clean your hearts of hatred and ignite love”. Watch the video below:

After delivering the remarks, he walked up to Modi and embraced him, a gesture that drew strong reactions from the BJP and was later mocked by the Prime Minister.

Soon after Rijiju’s speech ended, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra responded, defending her brother and accusing the ruling side of being uncomfortable with the criticism he raised.

“They cannot digest what the Leader of Opposition says because in the last 12 years, he is the only one who has refused to bow,” she said.

Priyanka Gandhi also responded to remarks about her smiling during speeches in the House, saying she laughed because members of the ruling alliance were suddenly praising India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru while referring to his defence of former Lok Sabha Speaker GV Mavalankar during a historical debate.

Earlier in the discussion, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi had accused the government of not allowing Rahul Gandhi to speak in Parliament. Rijiju rejected the claim, recalling a previous instance where an Opposition MP had said he did not require permission to speak in the House.

“If someone thinks they are above the Speaker, there is no cure for that,” Rijiju remarked amid sloganeering from Opposition benches. He also accused Congress MPs of attempting to decide who should preside over the House.

Gogoi responded with a sharp remark of his own, saying that future studies of parliamentary records might show Rijiju as the minister who interrupted the Opposition the most.

Backing Rijiju during the debate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said interventions from the treasury benches become necessary when members do not adhere to parliamentary rules.

Shah is scheduled to address the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during the discussion on the motion seeking the removal of Om Birla as Speaker.

Birla has not been presiding over the proceedings during the debate. With the post of Deputy Speaker vacant since 2019, senior members from the ruling NDA have been occupying the Chair to conduct the House.

The dispute over Birla’s conduct intensified after Rahul Gandhi displayed an unpublished memoir titled ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, written by former Army chief M. M. Naravane, in the Lok Sabha, an action that triggered objections from the treasury benches.