Delhi Confidential: Hardeep Singh Puri’s offer for a cup of tea cheers the Opposition up

As Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury chipped in to ask, “Sir, coffee or high tea?”, pat came Puri’s reply: “Whatever you prefer, and depending on the time of the day. If you like to come a little (late) in the evening, we can organise that, too.”

The response seemed to have cheered the Opposition benches, with members thumping desks in appreciation.

Big show: The Congress, it seems, is keen that its top leadership is in Delhi when the Bharat Jodo Yatra enters the national capital on December 24. The party has convened a meeting of all AICC general secretaries, leaders in charge of different states, state Congress presidents and CLP leaders on December 23 to review preparations of the “haath se haath jodo (join hands)” campaign to be launched as a follow-up to the yatra. The meeting will ensure that chief ministers of the three Congress-governed states, party’s state unit chiefs and AICC office-bearers are in Delhi a day before.

The yatra is scheduled to enter Delhi from Faridabad, Haryana, on December 24. Once in Delhi, the plan is to walk to Rajghat. The yatra will then take a break until January 2 or 3.

Know your summit: With India assuming the G20 Presidency, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has planned a series of sensitisation sessions on the issue for the MPs. The sessions, to be organised in a hybrid mode — both online and offline — will be held from December 19-21.

This comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an all-party meeting and a video conference with the chief ministers and governors earlier this month.