RAEBARELI – This week, a high-level review conference in Raebareli turned into a political fight when Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh openly accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of acting like he “owned” the meeting. The fight broke out during a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting on September 11. A video of it went viral on social media on Friday.
The DISHA committee is a government group that is in charge of overseeing and carrying out 43 central government programs at the district level. The Member of Parliament for the constituency is the chairperson of this group.
Singh, who is the minister of state (independent charge) for horticulture, told PTI that he supports Gandhi when he works for the people of Raebareli, but he is against him when he uses the platform to criticize the government or for political benefit. “The MP from a certain area leads the DISHA meeting. According to the rules of the Rural Development Department, he is in charge of overseeing and carrying out 43 programs. “I couldn’t accept that Rahul Gandhi acts like he owns the place when he comes to the meeting,” Singh said.
The disagreement is said to have started when Singh asked authorities questions directly during the meeting. As chair, Gandhi told him that members had to ask him for permission before they could speak. The video of the conversation went viral online right away.
Kishori Lal Sharma, the Amethi MP and co-chairperson of DISHA, who was also there, agreed with Gandhi’s point of view. “Members of DISHA must ask the chair for permission before they can speak at meetings. I reminded him of this process, just how the Speaker answers all queries in the Lok Sabha. Sharma told PTI that a minister should know how to behave in parliament and asked what kind of message this behavior sends about cabinet discipline.
There was more controversy when a photo of Gandhi shaking hands with Singh’s son, a local block chairman, came out. Singh said that those who supported Congress had spread the picture to make fun of him. He said that his son should have touched Gandhi’s feet out of respect because they are the same age. Singh also said that he had said hello to Gandhi, but the Congress leader “did not shake hands with me.”
Singh said, “Let us move forward in ‘apni apni disha’ (our own directions),” calling for a stop to the argument. The event shows how tense politics are in Raebareli, a district that has long been held by the Congress party and is currently represented by Rahul Gandhi.