On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the central government of weakening the country and said that India has never been so vulnerable.

Mr. Gandhi cited a media report that claimed that the Chinese military has again crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh at several places. Based on these reports, he tweeted, “Government of India’s use of foreign and defence policy as a domestic political tool has weakened our country. India has never been this vulnerable.” He quipped at the centre’s mishandling of the Chinese intrusion at Ladakh.

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Later in the day, in parliament, Mr. Gandhi’s demand to hold a discussion on the security situation on LAC was turned down by the chair. Subsequently, Rahul Gandhi and other Congress MPs walked out of the meeting of the Parliamentary Panel on Defence.

In a parallel development, Archana Dalmia, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi posted a tweet on Wednesday welcoming poll strategist Prashant Kishor into the Congress party. On Tuesday, Kishor had held discussions with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. This had sparked speculations of a united front against BJP in the upcoming general elections. Reports indicated that during their talks, the strategist may have been offered a formal role in the party by the Gandhis, as the party prepares for big elections ahead, at state and national levels.

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Speculations are rife in political corridors that the meeting between Gandhis and Kishor had a larger agenda revolving around the 2024 polls. The talks probably centred on how Congress can be relevant in attempts to form a front against the BJP. During the meeting of Prashant Kishor, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka, and KC Venugopal, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi was also present via video conferencing. The meeting lasted about 1 hour, as per sources. The presence of the party president at the meeting was significant. Mrs Gandhi sought to know how Congress can be strengthened ahead of the elections.

Last month, Kishor, met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar thrice. Prashant Kishor’s latest success has been the victory of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls

His meeting with Rahul Gandhi also comes amid the infighting in Punjab Congress. With assembly elections in Punjab scheduled to be held next year, Congress MLA in the state Navjot Sidhu has been making the political situation difficult for CM Captain Amarinder Singh.

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Congress High Command has maintained that Captain Amarinder Singh will remain the party’s CM face in the elections. Despite this, Navjot Singh Sidhu is reportedly vying for the top post after having been at loggerheads with the Punjab CM’s administration over several issues. Meanwhile recently, Sidhu was also found to be praising AAP for understanding his vision which raised speculations of his cosying up with the party of Arvind Kejriwal. It will be a challenging task for Kishor to shape up the game of Congress in Punjab, given all the hue and cries raised by Sidhu.