New Delhi, Jul 24 (IANS): A video on Wednesday captured a significant moment: Sonia Gandhi and Jaya Bachchan engaged in a jovial conversation in Parliament, sharing laughter and signalling a potential thaw in their relationship.
As opposition party leaders exited the Rajya Sabha proceedings and gathered outside, Sonia Gandhi's convoy reached there and she emerged from her vehicle. Congress leader Rajeev Shukla, a Rajya Sabha member from Chhattisgarh, warmly greeted her upon her arrival. Moments later, Sonia Gandhi exchanged words and laughter with Derek O'Brien of Trinamool Congress and Jaya Bachchan, a veteran Rajya Sabha member representing the Samajwadi Party and wife of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.
Their interactions, captured on camera, portrayed a moment of camaraderie, although the details of their conversation remained undisclosed.
There was a time when the Gandhis and the Bachchan family shared a close friendship, which gradually waned over the years. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan were notably close. Upon Rajiv Gandhi's request, Amitabh Bachchan contested and won the Lok Sabha election from Allahabad in 1984. However, amidst allegations in the Bofors scandal, Bachchan, then an actor-turned-politician, resigned from his parliamentary seat. Reports indicate that Rajiv Gandhi was disappointed and subsequently stopped communicating with Bachchan, leading to a strain in their families' relationship.
In fact, in the Upper House, Sonia Gandhi occupies a front-row seat, while Jaya Bachchan sits a few rows behind her. Previously, Sonia Gandhi was in the Lok Sabha and Jaya Bachchan was in the Rajya Sabha. Their interactions were rare. Now, they are more likely to encounter each other regularly. In the previous Parliament, Sonia Gandhi represented Rae Bareli in the Lok Sabha but chose to move to the Upper House from Rajasthan earlier this year. Meanwhile, her son, Rahul Gandhi, continues to represent the family stronghold of Rae Bareli in the current Lok Sabha.
During the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party formed an alliance under the INDIA bloc platform, delivering a surprising blow to the BJP. Both Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav have notably displayed a rare camaraderie during this period.
On Wednesday, MPs from the INDIA Bloc staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha, citing concerns over purported discrimination against states governed by opposition parties in the Union Budget. At the start of the session, opposition members immediately sought to address the issue of budget allocations.