CPM MP John Brittas targets Priyanka Gandhi over tea meet with PM Modi: 'Sent a wrong message...'

The Wayanad MP attended a tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at the close of winter session of Parliament

Days after Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi attended a tea meet involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas has expressed concerns over the move.

Brittas described the event as sending a “wrong message” to the public and questioned the timing, coming just hours after the BJP allegedly “bulldozed" the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The CPI (M) MP said that this move was "detrimental to the unity" of the INDIA bloc and distanced his party from endorsing "such bonhomie"

"This has been a matter of concern for people like us... It was not a good scene for us to see Priyanka Gandhi and others sitting at the tea party along with the Prime Minister. We would have expected better wisdom to guide them. I can also tell you that for comparatively insignificant issues, we stayed away from such tea parties. Last monsoon session, we stayed away because the government was not prepared for a discussion on SIR. Earlier, when the Waqf Bill was bulldozed, we stayed away... Compared to all those issues, this was a humongous issue," Brittas told ANI.

Brittas underscored that the optics of the tea party were particularly concerning given the legislative backdrop.

"Such a spectacle of Priyanka Gandhi having a cup of tea with the Prime Minister. Just a few hours after the bulldozing of Mahatma Gandhi, it was not only a sad scene, it also sent a wrong message to the people of the country. I don't subscribe to such bonhomie, which is detrimental to the unity of the opposition and the betterment of the poor people of this country," he added.

The Wayanad MP attended a tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at the close of winter session of Parliament, which also saw the presence of PM Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, and others.

Ten government bills were introduced during the winter session, of which eight were passed, including those for reforms in the civil nuclear, insurance, and healthcare sectors, among others.

Parliament also passed a bill to replace the MGNREGA rural jobs scheme with the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill.