New Delhi, June 2
It’s rare to see the politically divided Gandhis under one roof; rarer still to see them warm up to each other. But today was one such occasion when the estranged clan came face to face in the Lok Sabha (LS), their curious chemistry bare, for all to see.

On one side of the political fence was UPA boss Sonia Gandhi, her son and Amethi MP Rahul, keenly watched over from the Speaker’s gallery by Priyanka Gandhi and husband Robert.

On the other sat BJP’s Gandhi brigade featuring Maneka Gandhi and son Varun, the new face of saffron outfit’s Hindutva agenda (this is the first time the LS has four Gandhis). They, too, came armed with support in the form of Feroze Gandhi’s close relatives.

Emotional support bases in place, the stage appeared almost set for a virtual face-off that’s expected every time someone of the Rajiv family confronts someone of the Sanjay clan. So it was today, when LS secretary general PDT Achary invited Feroze Varun Gandhi to take his oath. His turn came first because the House was following the alphabetical order.

With his trademark knack for attention, the controversial Pilibhit MP sprung a huge surprise yet again today. Just when everyone thought he, like his mother, would zoom past Sonia Gandhi, wearing winter on his face, Varun bowed to his aunt, softly calling her “chachi.” The Congress chief could barely hide her emotions and gestured right back; the two are said to have shared great love in times when Maneka and Sonia used to live together as a family.

Away in the galleries, however, Priyanka sported a nonchalant look that seemed to say, “I couldn’t bother less.” The indifference gave way to admiration the moment it was brother Rahul’s turn to take the oath of affirmation. Priyanka smiled reassuringly at her sibling, as treasury benches went hysterical with clamour. Led by Sonia, the ruling MPs thumped their desks so hard, it seemed
the sounds of applause would never die out.

Interesting also was to see another contrast between the two Gandhis ---while Sonia and Maneka chose opposite languages to take their oaths (Hindi and English, respectively), Rahul and Varun did the same thing. Playing to his Pilibhit audience, Varun spoke in Hindi. Buoyed by Congress’ Uttar Pradesh win and the credit he got for it, Rahul stuck to English.

The only common thing the cousins did was express bonhomie for the opposing side. Both ensured they greeted the men who mattered, irrespective of which party they came from. So Rahul shook hands with Advani, Sharad Yadav, Mulayam Singh and even Kalyan Singh, and Varun flashed smiles at Pranab Mukherjee and other
cabinet ministers.