He listened to whatever was necessary: Cong defends Rahul's phone fiddling during President's speech

New Delhi, June 20: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday landed in a fresh controversy for not paying attention to President Ram Nath Kovind's joint address of the Parliament on Thursday.

Rahul Gandhi was seen scrolling through his phone for about 24 minutes of President Kovind's one-hour speech.

On the contrary, his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi listened to approximately one-hour long speech of the President with full attention and even thumped the table in appreciation when the entire Central Hall of Parliament broke into applause after the President mentioned about the Uri surgical strikes and the Balakot airstrike.

However, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said Rahul Gandhi was listening to whatever was necessary.

Sharma said Gandhi did not understand a few words and there was no disrespect to the president, as was being said by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"I think it is very frivolous if the BJP is saying so. If you see the footage, half of the ministers were talking to each other. Senior ministers. Were they showing disrespect to the president? It is not a fair comment," he told reporters here.

"A serious political party, which is in power, should not make such remarks," Sharma said.

Some BJP leaders earlier raised objections to Gandhi's conduct during the president's address and said "it only shows the lack of seriousness of the opposition leader".

They alleged that when President Ram Nath Kovind was speaking, Gandhi was seen fiddling with his mobile phone, which the Congress denied.

Meanwhile, speculations are rife that Rahul may step down from the post of party president after the debacle Congress faced in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Though he is adamant on quitting, the Congress Working Committee is unwilling to let him go.