New Delhi, Delhi, India

Jaadu ki jhappi or Pappu can dance *** or Munnabhai moment in Lok Sabha, whatever the words may be, the sharpness of the message would stay for a long time. The message clearly nailed it - underdog Rahul Gandhi sounded the poll bugle in Lok Sabha, loud and clear. 

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The cherry on the cake was his hug to Prime Minister Modi. It melted the internet for time. The surprise hug was also succeeded by a wink which added to the drama. It provided ample ammunition to the treasury benches to question Rahul Gandhi’s sincerity of hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his message of love. All said and done, Rahul Gandhi by the act of hugging and going for a speech focused on Prime Minister stole the show from the Opposition. The debate moved from political and economic issues to Rahul Gandhi. The "hug" made it Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi in a way where the underdog accepts the political challenge of the ruling hegemony.

Rahul Gandhi actually hugged a man who had abused Gandhi’s the maximum in public before and after assuming the office. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan called the hug "inappropriate" but the political message of the hug remains far stronger than dos and don’ts of Lok Sabha and it is for this reason, the hug will be debated for a long time. The hug will also be interpreted as acceptance of challenge by Rahul Gandhi. The hug also coveys the message that Rahul Gandhi will remain an irrepressible political foe even if electoral success eludes him.

Even manners and demeanour were on spectacular display in Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Modi at the start of the session used a light smile and casual sitting position to give the impression that he was enjoying the "political play" which was to mollycoddle an obstinate Opposition. His smile was of a general who already knows before the battle that massacre awaits the adversary which is indulging in suicidal tactics.

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Though none of the points raised by Rahul Gandhi were new but the speech was indeed forceful. It was gaffe-free and without the help of papers and aides in the Parliament. The speech allowed Rahul Gandhi to become a "point of reference" which in past has always been Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On any other occasion, Rahul Gandhi’s speech would have been relegated to 20-second bite and a mention in the newspaper but the hug ‘act’ ensures that debate remains focused on him.

So what is the issue? Was it a stunt? Yes, it was, but the stunt was against another powerful performer Narendra Modi who is also known for his masterful stunts and famous jhappis on international platforms with international leaders. The fact that Rahul acknowledged the word Pappu has taken the sheen from the word. He rendered it politically useless.

The only flipside to this moment of taking a colossus by surprise was that it robs Rahul Gandhi of predictability which is required of political leaders. Hug creates a "Munna bhai moment" for Rahul Gandhi but it also highlights an unpredictable side to Rahul Gandhi’s personality. Hug startled the PM but also robbed Gandhi of little seriousness. His charge on defence minister also showed that he was economical with the truth when he made a wild allegation against Nirmala Sitaraman which was quickly dismissed by the French government. Though Rahul insists that he stands by his statement, the damage was done. Wild allegations have limited political shelf life. In the long run, they don’t work but today was Rahul Gandhi’s day.