Congress president Rahul Gandhi took the lower house of Parliament by surprise when he decided to hug Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the end of his fiery speech during the debate on the no-confidence motion. Soon after the surprise act, Rahul winked at someone and was caught live on national TV camera. As if the “unscripted hug”, as Congress MP Shashi Tharror put it later, was not enough to set social media on fire, the wink stole the limelight. At the time of writing, ‘Rahul Gandhi’ had already more than 79000 impressions (mentions) on Twitter. His wink, however, dragged another celebrity’s name into the mentions and conversations, as many tweeters sought to draw a comparison with Internet heartthrob Priya Prakash Varrier. The Malayalam film actor rose to prominence even before her first film was released as a teaser song from the film, featuring her playful wink, went viral earlier this year. Commenting on Rahul’s wink, many said Priya Prakash Varrier seemed to have found a worthy competitor. After the hug to PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi was seen winking at someone from his seat. His wink soon took the internet by storm, and many couldn’t stop comparing it to Priya’s famous wink. After the unprecedented drama in the Lok Sabha, Twitter users obviously had a field day. One of the Twitter user wrote, “Rahul Gandhi’s jhappi and winking act 😂😂😂😂 reminds me of #PriyaPrakashWarrior” Another Twitter user asked, who was better at the wink, was it Rahul Gandhi or actress Priya? “Who did it better ? RT for Rahul Gandhi Fav for Priya Prakash Warrior. #NoConfidenceMotion,” he tweeted. Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter: RT – Rahul Gandhi wink Like – Priya varrier wink pic.twitter.com/gM5bmEDkMl — Guru official ™ (@GuruLeaks) July 20, 2018 Who did it better? pic.twitter.com/3nu2Y1XibR — Ivan Mehta (@IndianIdle) July 20, 2018 Oh that wink my friend! Hit them hard where it hurts..Congratulations for unearthing their mines of lies & a fantastic speech @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/lMlBFoYGwv — Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) July 20, 2018 Meanwhile, the ongoing debate on the no-confidence motion will conclude with PM Modi’s address to Parliament. The House will vote at 6 pm.<doc-sep>Priya Prakash Varrier, who shot to overnight fame with her wink in the viral song 'Manikya Malaraya Poovi' has become the center of attention. All over again. It all started when Congress President Rahul Gandhi launched a series of attacks at BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech during the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha on Friday. After the fiery speech, Gandhi, however, showed a lighter side. “You all must think that I have a lot of hatred in my heart against the Prime Minister, but actually that is not the case. In fact, Modi Ji, the BJP, and the RSS taught me the meaning of being a member of the Congress party. They have taught me the meaning of being Indian. They have taught me the meaning of being a Hindu and a devotee of Lord Shiva. Being an Indian and being a Congressman means no matter what falsehood someone speaks against you, you do not harbour ill-will against them. For this, I thank you,” Gandhi said. Following this, Gandhi walked up to Narendra Modi and hugged him. The PM, confused at first, accepted Gandhi’s speech. Gandhi’s gesture was met with applause from the opposition benches. Several memes and jokes emerged as all of Twitterverse was stunned. However, Gandhi didn't stop there. He followed his hug with a wink in the parliament and it became a topic of discussion on Twitter. Twitterati were quick to draw comparisons between Gandhi and Varrier's wink. Move out Priya Warrier you have got a tough Competition in Rahul Gandhi!! On a serious note this is what Pappu and Congress has reduced Parliament too Cheap antics ,Fake Jhapis, Sly winks Pappu once again reaffirmed he is crude, immature ,with no class #NoConfidenceMotion pic.twitter.com/sWOAlizDXC — Naina 🇮🇳 (@NaIna0806) July 20, 2018 This is what happens when you play a script. Emotions, Nationalism, Hinduism, Secularism & Liberalism everything is a mere script for the Congress party & Gandhi Family. pic.twitter.com/HG3HzHks5S — Bhaiyyaji (@bhaiyyajispeaks) July 20, 2018 Varrier was delighted to learn that Gandhi had "copied" her signature move in the parliament. "I've come back from college to see the news that Rahul Gandhi has winked at our Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the parliament. He has greeted him with the wink which is a very sweet gesture and I'm very happy that it was my signature move in the movie where I started off. So, yeah, today I'm very happy," she said in an interview. #RahulKiJhappi -- Priya Prakash Varrier says she's happy @RahulGandhi 'copied' her signature wink in Lok Sabha pic.twitter.com/ak4zQkRUAZ — News18 (@CNNnews18) July 20, 2018 Earlier this year, a short clip from Malayalam movie Oru Adaar Love started doing the rounds on the Internet. Composed by Shaan Rahman, the video resonated with many and soon went viral.<doc-sep>NEW DELHI: Hours after an unexpected hug by Rahul Gandhi , Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took at dig at the Congress president's apparent post-hug wink in Parliament saying the entire nation saw what the eyes did today. Making gestures with his hands and eyes to show Gandhi's 'wink', Modi said it was clear in front of everyone what the Congress leader's eyed did and the same was splashed across TV channels throughout the day. Referring to Gandhi's apparent slip of tongue in saying that the prime minister could not see him eye-to-eye, Modi said, "You are a 'naamdaar' (known by name) and I am 'kaamdar' (known by work). I cannot dare see you eye-to-eye." The prime minister went on to list names of leaders like Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, Chandra Shekhar and Pranab Mukherjee who he said tried to see eye-to-eye with the Congress and the result is known to everyone. Earlier in the day, Gandhi had capped his blistering attack on the government with a hug to Modi, prompting a furious discussion about the appropriateness of his action. Replying to the non-confidence motion, Modi also hit out at Gandhi's "bhagidar" (collaborator) remark, saying he is a 'chowkidar' and a 'bhagidar', but not a 'saudagar' (trader) or 'thekedar' (contractor) like the Congress president. Rahul had said an indutrialist under a debt of Rs 35,000 crore was given a contract in the Rafale deal and he benefitted to the tune of Rs 45,000 crore, while asking the prime minister to answer if the Cabinet Committee on Security took the decision. The contract was taken away from public-sector firm HAL, Rahul had said. Facebook Twitter Linkedin EMail<doc-sep>A combo of four photos showing Rahul Gandhi as he hugs PM Modi after his speech in the Lok Sabha on 'no-confidence motion'. (Image: LSTV grab via PTI) Same. https://t.co/HmWWHmOVNV — Aisi Taisi Democracy (@AisiTaisiDemo) 1532076359000 Same. https://t.co/u9eakRppXX — Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) 1532079703000 Who did this? 😂😂 https://t.co/ypF3bfXLk1 — Mask (@Mr_Lolwwa) 1532078987000 NEW DELHI: Hugs may be silent, yet they speak volumes, said positivity speaker Carol CC Miller. On Friday, Rahul Gandhi ’s hugging of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament spoke louder than his words.Social media was agog with jokes and memes on the hug as well as the wink that followed the act. Around 6.30pm, hashtags Rahul Gandhi and RahulHugsModi were also trending on twitter.The wink drew comparisons with budding actor Priya Prakash Warrier’s twinkle, arguably the most famous wink in India’s social history.One meme asked the viewer to compare the two winks. “Which one is better?,” it asked.The occasion also drew comparison with Sunjay Dutt’s film, Munnabhai MBBS, where the protagonist hugs strangers and calls it, jaadu ki jhappi. In fact, the expression was among the frequently-used hashtags on Friday.<doc-sep>
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's surprise gesture to hug Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha after his speech during the no-confidence debate had Twitter abuzz on Friday with jokes aplenty and the hashtags "pappukijhappi" and "hugplomacy" trending on the microblogging site. Gandhi also appeared to be winking, a picture which went viral with Twitter users drawing a parallels between the Congress president and Malayalam actor Priya Prakash Varrier who became an internet sensation with her wink from a film song, "Manikya Malaraya Poovi". "Rahul Gandhi's Priya Varrier moment after 'The Hug' #ModiTrustVote," Vipin Vijayan tweeted. Another Twitter user, Harsh Singhavi said, "Pappu is learning from priya" "Move out Priya Warrier you have got a tough Competition in Rahul Gandhi!! On a serious note this is what Pappu and Congress has reduced Parliament to. Cheap antics ,Fake Jhapis, Sly winks," added another tweet. As it turned out, Varrier soon reacted to Gandhi's wink herself. "It was a sweet gesture, I am happy," the 18-year-old was quoted as saying by ABP News. Many remembered "Munnabhai", the character from the eponymous Bollywood film who hugged his opponents in a bid to win them over and prove the relevance of Gandhian values. As visuals of the Congress president walking across the House to hug Modi were played repeatedly across television channels and social media platforms, some recalled the prime minister's own penchant for hugging leaders and some referred to Gandhi's mocking moniker Pappu. "@narendramodi gets a taste of his own hugs from @RahulGandhi! And that too minutes after @HarsimratBadal_ said that Parliament is not for "Munna Bhai's puppy- jhappis," a Twitter user said. Another user Ankur Singh tweeted, "even more awkward hug #Hugplomacy." "Pappu becomes Munna Bhai!" Sitanshu Shukla said. Given Modi's visible surprise, one user brought up the issue of consent and called it the "most forced hug" of all time. Priyanka Bansal tweeted, "The most forced hug of all times probably. Consent Ka kya, Mr. Gandhi?#NoConfidenceMotion #PappuKiJhappi" Modi, who initially looked nonplussed and did not stand up to hug him, recovered quickly and called Gandhi back and patted him on the back. Gandhi said in his speech that Modi, the BJP and the RSS had taught him the meaning of being a member of the Congress party, an Indian and a Hindu. "Being an Indian and being a Congressman means no matter what falsehood someone speaks against you, you do not harbour ill-will against them. For this, I thank you, Gandhi said. He concluded his speech by saying, "You can call me things, You can call me Pappu, but I do not have any hate for you. (Inputs from PTI)