PM Modi vs Rahul Gandhi: Hug, wink and slip of tongue

New Delhi: Amidst a string of sharp comments and scathing counter-attacks during the no-confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha today, what amused parliamentarians was the story of a hug, a wink, a slip of tongue and peals of laughter—all between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Call it scripted drama or impromptu rhetoric, Rahul Gandhi started his speech by lampooning PM Modi over his “jumlas” and “unkept promises” but ended up hugging him. Rahul Gandhi’s slip of tongue Rahul Gandhi, who later himself admitted that the BJP makes fun of him by calling him “Pappu”, made PM Modi and others from the ruling alliance burst into laughter when he pronounced the Hindi word “bahar” as “bar”. Rahul Gandhi, who has been criticising the Prime Minister for his “hugoplamacy”, was the one who went ahead and surprised Modi with a warm hug, which critics said looked “awkward”.