PM Modi, Priyanka Gandhi share a lighter moment at Speaker’s tea: Chat about blue turmeric, share a laugh
When the Congress MP told Modi she only knew one line in Tamil and that it translates to "All of you, please vote for the Congress", the PM laughed heartily, said those present.
Those who attended the Speaker's tea party on Friday included NCP's Supriya Sule, DMK's A Raja, RSP’s N K Premachandran, Union Ministers Ram Mohan Naidu (TDP) and Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JDU), and Chirag Paswan (LJP-RV).
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There were smiles all around, jokes cracked, and genuine admiration expressed for each other. The mood at the customary tea hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday at the end of the Winter Session of Parliament and attended by, among others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was unlike the acrimonious scenes in the House in the last three weeks.
The Opposition had boycotted the tea after the last session of Parliament in July-August, but this time Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a call that the party’s representatives should attend the Speaker’s tea party. After all, despite the rancour over the VB-G RAM G Bill, the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on electoral reforms — during which they got a chance to raise questions on the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise — was accepted and Bills — even though contentious — were passed after long discussions. The discussion on the G RAM G Bill, in fact, ended after midnight in the Rajya Sabha.
The Congress decided to send Priyanka, Kumari Selja, and Manickam Tagore for the post-session get-together.
Sources said as the leaders settled down, PM Modi asked Priyanka about the medicinal values of blue turmeric from her constituency Wayanad, which is said to be beneficial for the throat. She said she had been taking it at the advice of her brother, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi who is currently on a trip to Germany, and it had helped her.
Sources said Modi and Priyanka engaged in a pleasant conversation at the meet. She inquired about the PM’s recent three-nation tour. The conversation then moved to Wayanad, with Modi inquiring about the situation there. When Congress whip Manickam Tagore entered the room, Modi welcomed him with “vanakkam”, the traditional greeting in Tamil. Hearing this, Priyanka said Tamil is a classical language but difficult to learn. She said she knew a line in Tamil, but the PM may not like to hear it. When Modi insisted, Priyanka said: “Neenkal ellarum Congressukku vote podunkai (All of you, please vote for the Congress).” The Prime Minister laughed heartily at this, according to those present. Priyanka also said she was trying to learn Malayalam to converse better with the people of her constituency.
Sources said the Wayanad MP also told the PM that the House would have functioned smoothly from the very first day had the discussions sought by the Opposition been allowed. The PM playfully responded that the “shouting MPs” had a field day because of the pandemonium. A Union minister present at the get-together jokingly added that the duration of the session was curtailed from four to three weeks to ensure less strain on the throats of the Opposition MPs.
Priyanka’s tea talk with PM Modi comes a day after she met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at his office on the Parliament premises. The Wayanad MP, who called on the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister to discuss six road projects passing through Kerala, was seen tasting a rice ball and chutney snack offered by Gadkari, who said the recipe was taken from a YouTube video. Photos of the meeting, shared by the minister as well as the MP on social media, made headlines for the rare display of bonhomie between the government and the Opposition amid the pandemonium over the G RAM G Bill.
Those who attended the Speaker’s tea party on Friday included NCP’s Supriya Sule, DMK’s A Raja, RSP’s N K Premachandran, Union Ministers Ram Mohan Naidu (TDP) and Rajiv Ranjan Singh (JDU), and Chirag Paswan (LJP-RV).
Sources said Modi made a special mention of Premachandran for his interventions and praised him for his “well-studied speeches” on Bills. He said Premachandran was very hardworking. Priyanka and Selja agreed, with the Wayanad MP saying the Opposition MPs look up to his interventions and Selja saying Premachandran is the best when it comes to interventions on legislation.
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