A rare moment of warmth between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi was captured on camera at a tea meet organised by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday.
The informal gathering, held at the Parliament House, brought together politicians from across the aisle, including Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Chirag Paswan, and Piyush Goyal, as well as opposition MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kanimozhi.
Gandhi, who is a vocal critic of the government, was seen greeting Modi warmly, with pictures of the moment going viral on social media. Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were also in attendance.
The meet came just one sitting before the scheduled end of the Budget session, which was later adjourned sine die by the Lok Sabha Speaker.
The current session of Parliament, which was scheduled to end on August 12, managed to pass several significant pieces of legislation, including the Finance Bill, 2024, and the Appropriation Bill, 2024. The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2024, and the Indian Aircraft Bill, 2024, were also passed during the session.
However, the session was not without controversy. The introduction of a Bill to amend the Waqf Act, 1995 sparked debate. The Bill was eventually referred to a joint committee of Parliament for further scrutiny. The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned sine die, bringing an end to the Budget session.
