INDIA bloc skips LS Speaker’s tea party post sine die; Kharge, Sonia attend RS meet

Opposition unity was on display at the Lok Sabha Speaker’s customary tea gathering on Thursday, with the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Samajwadi Party (SP) staying away from the event following the sine die adjournment of the House.

DMK leader Kanimozhi was among those who attended the traditional gathering, according to sources.

The scene was different in the Rajya Sabha, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi, along with other opposition leaders, joined Chairman C P Radhakrishnan for the customary tea party.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several other senior ministers and leaders were also present at the gathering in the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chamber, sources said.

A senior Congress leader said leaders from the Congress, SP, TMC and several other INDIA bloc parties had decided not to attend the event.
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha traditionally host such tea gatherings in their respective chambers once proceedings in the two Houses are adjourned sine die.