A review meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee in Rae Bareli turned confrontational when Rahul Gandhi, in his role as chair, instructed Dinesh Pratap Singh to seek permission from the chair before speaking—prompting sharp pushback from the Uttar Pradesh minister. The altercation, captured in video and widely shared online, came during the meeting at the Collectorate’s Bachat Bhawan on 11 September.
The meeting involved examination of key central and state schemes under DISHA, of which Gandhi is co-chair, supported by Amethi MP KL Sharma and block chiefs among others. Singh, minister of state for horticulture, challenged Gandhi’s directive, arguing that Gandhi was overstepping his role by acting “owner-like” rather than merely supervising the 43 programmes prescribed under DISHA.
Kishori Lal Sharma, co-chair from Amethi, responded that meeting rules required all members to seek the chair’s permission, drawing a parallel with the Lok Sabha where questions are channeled through the Speaker. Sharma warned Singh’s conduct could undermine cabinet discipline and urged adherence to procedural norms.
Singh, who formerly belonged to Congress before joining another party, asserted he was not bound to accept Gandhi’s directions, citing what he described as Gandhi’s own disregard for the Speaker’s authority in Parliament. He claimed Gandhi was pushing beyond the scope of reviewing schemes and criticised the focus shifting toward political confrontation rather than development work.
The meeting saw additional political drama: Manoj Kumar Pandey, an expelled member of the Samajwadi Party, boycotted the session, and Lalganj block head Shivani Singh skipped attendance after her vehicle was allegedly not permitted entry.
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