Akhilesh’s SP skips Kharge’s lunch for INDIA bloc MPs

The Samajwadi Party (SP) chose not to join Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in hosting lunch for opposition MPs protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation in Delhi, one day after SP lawmakers formed a separate faction during the march from Parliament to Akashvani Bhavan. Several lawmakers attending the lunch at Sagar Ratna restaurant on Janpath in Delhi expressed surprise and asked about SP's absence.

Akhilesh Yadav, former UP Chief Minister and SP leader, returned to Lucknow after his release from detention following his arrest in Delhi. This is the second instance where Yadav has missed an INDIA group event in recent months; he did not attend the INDIA group meeting on September 29 but sent two party leaders instead. Yadav stated that "lunch diplomacy" would not be limited to a single meal and hinted at "dinner diplomacy and tea diplomacy" possibly taking place in the future.

SP's Udaiveer Singh mentioned that Akhilesh Yadav returned to Lucknow due to commitments related to the Rajya Sabha polls, asserting that their regional party nature requires them to prioritize local responsibilities. However, some within the SP were unhappy with the protest planning, attributing the absence primarily to poor and delayed communication from Congress.

Congress Communication Chief Jairam Ramesh dismissed the criticism, stating that the decision to host the lunch was taken late last night and communicated, and thus it was natural that some parties couldn't be represented.