A moment of camaraderie in Parliament was caught on camera as Congress leader Shashi Tharoor moved to climb down the stairs of the Lok Sabha, but stumbled on the steps, prompting Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav to quickly rush to help him up. A video has since surfaced on social media.
The video showed Shashi Tharoor speaking on his mobile phone as he attempted to step down the stairs. We don't know whether he missed a step or two, but the video showed him stumbling and falling. Akhilesh Yadav, who was standing nearby with other SP leaders, quickly held him.
Yadav also reportedly asked his team to help Shashi Tharoor carry his bag.
Meanwhile, there is a camaraderie visible between Shashi Tharoor and the Congress leadership lately, after months of speculation that something was amiss.
He also arrived at the Leader of the Opposition's office to meet him after a huge uproar over his remarks aimed at targeting the Modi government, and the Lok Sabha proceedings saw repeated adjournments.
This was the first time Shashi Tharoor had attended a meeting with Rahul Gandhi since their meeting last week with Mallikarjun Kharge.
Not only this, outside the House, Shashi Tharoor strongly defended Rahul Gandhi over his remarks and said that the party leader was not allowed to speak.
He indicated that the magazine article Rahul Gandhi wanted to cite was not about the armed forces but about the government’s decisions, adding that the government was overreacting to the issue.
He noted that Rahul Gandhi's intended remarks are in the public domain. Shashi Tharoor added that Jawaharlal Nehru had allowed discussions in the House even over the war with China.
Tharoor's "changed demeanour" has been widely noticed as he has previously avoided commenting on such matters and was seen to have strained ties with the leadership.
With only Tharoor, Kharge, and Gandhi present at last week's meeting, there are indications that Tharoor has been given some assurance regarding the forthcoming Kerala assembly elections, signalling a warmer stance.
