The voice of the silence

The sudden spurt of activity by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in the winter session of Parliament has taken partymen by surprise. Gandhi, who prefers to keep a low profile in Parliament and has often been called a "backbencher", was at the forefront of protests by Opposition members against the BJP-led government. Gandhi was spotted recently covering his mouth with a black cloth like other protestors as he led the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (United) members of the Lok Sabha in their protest against the government's inaction against Union Minister Niranjan Jyoti's vitriol and its alleged attempts to muzzle the Opposition's voice. He did not remove the black cloth even when the group walked into the Lok Sabha to register the protest. While addressing a gathering of Youth Congress workers, he said: "The government switched off the microphone when (Mallikarjun) Kharge was speaking in the Lok Sabha."