Build on momentum gained during debates on 'Vande Mataram', election reforms: Rahul Gandhi tells party MPs

At a meeting of Congress Lok Sabha members, he says government seems 'under pressure' from the Opposition on both the issues

New Delhi: Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday told party members in the Lok Sabha that there was a need to build on the momentum they gained during the debates on 'Vande Mataram' and election reforms in Parliament, saying the BJP was on the backfoot, sources said.

At a meeting of Congress Lok Sabha members, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said it was an ideological fight and there was no going back on this. He said sometimes they need to protest that could lead to disruption of proceedings as they have to put pressure on the government to bring it on line.

He hailed the performance of the MPs during the debates and said the government seemed "under pressure" from the Opposition on both the issues, sources said. He told the MPs that the government was hoping to emerge on top but the Opposition had managed to gain an upper hand.

"Acrimonious debate was held on SIR and 'Vande Mataram', and I am glad that we absolutely destroyed them in those debates. Amit Shah was rattled. He even hurled abuses in the House. He was under a lot of pressure," Gandhi told reporters later.

Sources said MPs told the meeting that it was the Opposition's gain that forced the government to agree to a debate on electoral reforms. They also felt that the government could not leverage on the debate on 'Vande Mataram' as expected, as the Congress and other Opposition parties "exposed" the saffron party's agenda, they claimed.

Congress Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi said it was discussed that the party was successful in raising the current problems of the people such as IndiGo flight disruptions, air pollution and labour codes issue.

"It was also discussed how during the debate on 150 years of 'Vande Mataram', Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Lok Sabha brought the truth before the people and blunted the intentions of politicising the issue," Gogoi told reporters.

"On vote chori, everyone saw how Rahul Gandhi challenged the Home Minister for a debate on the floor of the House on the issues raised by him in the press conferences on the basis of evidence. The Home Minister was rattled and also made some unparliamentary remarks," he said.