The District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting in Raebareli on Thursday, chaired by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, witnessed a tense exchange between him and Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Horticulture Dinesh Pratap Singh.
According to reports, the disagreement centred on the meeting protocol and the scope of issues being raised. A video that surfaced on Friday showed the two leaders engaged in a verbal confrontation.
The clash came a day after Singh had staged a sit-in in front of Gandhi’s cavalcade in Raebareli, protesting against an alleged derogatory remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother made by a man during a rally in Bihar. Unchahar MLA Manoj Kumar Pandey, who had earlier been expelled from the Samajwadi Party for alleged anti-party activities, also walked out of the meeting over the same controversy.
During the proceedings, Gandhi was seen telling Singh, seated beside him, that he should first seek permission to speak and would then be given the opportunity to speak, Indian Express reported.
Amethi MP KL Sharma was also seen in a heated exchange with Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, who objected to certain matters being discussed, arguing that they were outside the committee’s purview. Gandhi, however, reminded him that he was the chairman of the committee.
In response, Singh remarked that since Gandhi himself did not heed the Lok Sabha Speaker, he too was under no obligation to listen to the Congress leader, who was on a two-day visit to his Raebareli constituency on September 10 and 11.
According to accounts, the confrontation began when the minister bypassed Gandhi and started issuing instructions directly to the officials present at the meeting.
DISHA committees, set up under the state Rural Development Department, are tasked with monitoring development projects. They are chaired by the senior-most MP from the district, with other MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and the zila panchayat chairperson as members, while the district magistrate serves as secretary. By rule, these committees are required to meet once every four months.
According to sources, the clash escalated when Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, while speaking to a district project officer, argued that the work under discussion did not fall within the scope of the DISHA meeting. He was then told that any such points should be addressed to the chairperson of the committee rather than directly to officials. Singh, however, countered that he was not obliged to listen to Rahul Gandhi in his capacity as chair since, in his view, Gandhi himself disregarded the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Amethi MP KL Sharma described the incident as unprecedented, saying it was the first time a minister had openly confronted the committee chair in such a manner, which he felt went against established norms. He added that officials had been placed under pressure due to the minister’s conduct, but assured that the matter would be examined as the proceedings were recorded.
Dismissing these allegations, Singh, who lost the 2024 Lok Sabha contest to Gandhi in Raebareli, maintained on Friday that the role of the DISHA chairperson was guided strictly by the Rural Development Ministry’s framework. He argued that Gandhi was not bringing any new schemes to Raebareli but was instead tasked with reviewing the progress of 43 central and state rural development projects. Singh further explained that his objections were raised because, in his assessment, Gandhi was acting under a misconception and attempting to take up matters outside the committee’s mandate, and as a member, he considered it his duty to ensure adherence to established procedures.