Modi and Gandhi Converse Briefly at Phule Tribute Event

In New Delhi on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a brief and cordial conversation with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi during a commemorative event at Prerna Sthal in the Parliament premises, marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule.

The interaction occurred as Modi arrived to pay floral tributes to Phule, born on April 11, 1827, in Maharashtra's Satara district. Several dignitaries, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers J.P. Nadda, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Virendra Kumar, and former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, stood in attendance. After greeting the group with folded hands, Modi paused near Gandhi for what witnesses described as an unhurried exchange lasting about a minute. Accounts from those present indicate Modi inquired about the health of Gandhi's mother, Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who had been hospitalized in Delhi earlier this year and discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on March 31. Gandhi responded by updating Modi on her condition and recovery, nodding as they spoke. The moment, captured in videos that quickly spread on social media, drew attention for its rarity amid the often...