Luncheon at Connaught Place to calm tensions; Is everything okay within INDIA bloc?

NEW DELHI: Dissonance was palpable in the INDIA bloc over the opinion that the leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was purportedly trying to hijack the protest held in Akashvani Bhavan.

To alleviate tensions, the INDIA bloc organised a luncheon in New Delhi on Wednesday, where alliance leaders participated.

A luncheon was hosted at a hotel in Delhi's bustling Connaught Place. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge personally invited the leaders; they dined together and deliberated on the protest strategy. Discussions were held on whether to march to the Election Commission or to Jantar Mantar, and a directive was issued to keep the decisions confidential. The leaders later ignored media queries regarding the topic. This was a calculated move to avoid police intervention.

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi unexpectedly staged a sit-in protest within the Akashvani Bhavan complex; alliance leaders had openly expressed their displeasure, noting that this action had been taken without prior consultation.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and other MPs stayed away from Wednesday’s protest, despite being active in the demonstration held the previous day. Rahul had entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises while Akhilesh was being arrested and removed. Reports suggest that dissatisfaction over this incident led to Akhilesh’s absence today. The party's explanation is that they received information about the protest late and were unable to reach the venue in time.