New Delhi, Aug. 4 (The Telegraph): Sonia Gandhi today showed the Congress something it had forgotten: how to shout.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Deepender Hooda, Sushmita Dev and Gaurav Gogoi, four of the younger MPs of the Congress, yell: " Mann ki baat bandh karo...."

"... Bandh karo, bandh karo," the chant is completed by Sonia, her clenched fist punching the air.

Pumped up, Sushmita, a first-time MP from Assam, declares: " Lambe bhashan bandh karo (stop long speeches)."

" Bandh karo, bandh karo," Sonia keeps the beat and chuckles.

The party that lost its voice in power was leading the chorus against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for staying silent on the Lalit Modi scandal and the Vyapam scam. The flashpoint was the suspension of 25 Congress MPs from the Lok Sabha by the Speaker yesterday but the real target was Prime Minister Modi.

Two persons stand out because they do not seem to have been swept up by the slogan-shouting mood. One is Manmohan Singh, the quietest Prime Minister India has seen, taking part in his own way in the protest against the most voluble Prime Minister India has seen.

Never one to betray his emotions in public, Manmohan, once subjected to trademark Modi barbs such as "Maunmohan", did not pay the Prime Minister back in his own coin when the same charge is staring back at him.

Instead, the former Prime Minister stuck to vintage Manmohan-speak: "The Congress has raised (some issues) before the country, before the government and before Parliament. It is the responsibility of the government to take into account the concerns that we have been voicing. Certain ministers whose conduct is not in line with... parliamentary traditions... We are fully justified in demanding that these ministers should be asked to submit their resignation."

The other slogan-agnostic participant was Rahul Gandhi, who looked lost in deep thought.

After 45 minutes of protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament House, Rahul offered a curt comment: "The PM has a habit of doing his mann ki baat, Hindustan ke mann ki baat suniye (listen to India's voice)."

Sonia appeared to be enjoying herself, holding Manmohan by his arm and guiding him towards the front row, repeatedly slicing the air and shouting at the top of her voice.

If there was a trace of atonement among the new "shouting brigade", it was not in evidence. As Prime Minister, Manmohan had sacked several ministers who had come under a cloud but an unnerved Congress had failed to forcefully put forward its case and allowed itself to be crushed by the BJP's blitz.

Today, there was no mistaking that the punching bag was the Prime Minister. There was no mention of the Speaker, no reference to the BJP, no attack on the government.

Modi was the sole target, for "protecting the corrupt", for making "false promises", for ignoring "public pressure", for "threatening the democratic tradition" of the country. There were slogans like "India wants justice" and " Modiji 56 inch dikhao (Modiji, show your 56-inch chest)", instead of any criticism of the Speaker.

While Congress members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were present, wearing black bands and waving black flags and placards, Supriya Sule of the NCP, J.P.N. Yadav of the RJD and Dharmendra Yadav of the Samajwadi Party too joined in.

The Trinamul Congress boycotted the Lok Sabha today but turned down the Congress's request to join the anti-government protest. Trinamul is said to be striking a deft balance ahead of a proposed meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Modi in Delhi next week.

The AAP and the JDU, too, boycotted the Lok Sabha while members of the CPI, CPM, RJD, SP and the RSP went inside and protested against the suspensions.

As soon as the House assembled, these members under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav argued with the Speaker against the suspension but she ignored them. After raising the slogan " Nilamban wapas lo (withdraw the suspension)" for some time, they walked out. Among the non-NDA parties, only the AIADMK and Biju Janata Dal participated in the proceedings.

The open solidarity shown by the Samajwadi Party came as an encouragement for the Congress, which is still fighting against the government in the Rajya Sabha. The government cannot pass any bill in the Rajya Sabha if the SP and the BSP refuse to help.

With the suspension giving a booster shot to the Congress position, it appears unlikely that the most important bill - GST - will be passed in this session.

Rahul made it clear that there would be no compromise on the demand for the resignations of Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

"There won't be any let-up in the pressure on the government. It is not the Congress alone which is asking for action. The people of India want resignations."

"There is clear evidence that Sushmaji has broken the law. Clear evidence that the Rajasthan chief minister (Vasundhara Raje) was directly involved financially with Lalit Modi," Rahul said, despite the BJP's threat to file a defamation suit.

Photo credit: The Telegraph