It was a moment for the cameras. Only, the shutter-bugs were not there; nor was Lok Sabha TV recording as the House had not been called to order when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi exchanged pleasantries in a rare moment when their paths crossed.
As Mr. Modi went across the floor to greet leaders of other political parties, Ms. Gandhi was coming down the aisle to take her place in the front row of the Opposition benches. Belying all expectations of a cold perfunctory greeting — given the way they targeted each other during the campaign — both acknowledged each other with a smile and greetings.
As photographers are not allowed inside the House, and Lok Sabha TV begins recording only when the proceedings begin, such scenes of camaraderie are destined to remain undocumented, leaving the public to associate Parliament only with acrimony and disruption.
