Rahul Gandhi and Dinesh Pratap Singh attend Disha meeting in Rai Bareilly
Hostility can be intense, but when we become friends, there should be room for no awkwardness. Although Bashir Badr had written the couplet many years ago, he was reminded of it today after witnessing leaders turning a blind eye at a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Supervisory Committee (Disha) in Rae Bareilly. The meeting in Disha was attended by local MP Rahul Gandhi. Besides senior officials from the region, those leaders who were once an important part of Rahul Gandhi’s team but are today their opponents were also present.
The meeting in Disha was held at the Rai Bareilly Collection Auditorium under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma sits on his right and Uttar Pradesh government minister Dinesh Pratap Singh sits on his left. Before joining the BJP, Dinesh Pratap Singh was a Congress MP. Congress appointed Dinesh Pratap Singh as MLC while his brother became MLA on Congress ticket. Dinesh Pratap Singh was once considered to be part of Rahul Gandhi’s team.
Dinesh Pratap Singh changes stance in 2018
In 2018, Dinesh Pratap Singh changed sides and became the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He later became one of the biggest opponents of the Gandhi family. The BJP had fielded Dinesh Pratap Singh against Sonia and Rahul in 2019 and 2024 but failed both times. Today, when Rahul Gandhi arrived for a meeting in Disha, he saw Dinesh Pratap Singh sitting next to him. Both kept peeking. No dialogue of any kind took place between the two.
Although there was no exchange between Rahul Gandhi and Dinesh Pratap Singh during the meeting, once Rahul Gandhi left, Dinesh Pratap Singh definitely waved Anti-Rahul Gandhi posters. The poster reads: “For the people of Rae Bareli, one night in Rae Bareli… is only 5 hours in 6 months and 50 hours in 5 years… means a total stay in 5 years 2 days?” Apart from this, Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh also documented the development work done by the Modi-Yogi government in Raebareli.
Apart from Dinesh Pratap, MP Aditi Singh was also present at the meeting.
Apart from Dinesh Pratap Singh, Rae Bareli Sadar MLA Aditi Singh also participated in the meeting. When Aditi Singh introduced herself to Rahul Gandhi at the beginning of the meeting, she kept smiling. Rahul Gandhi also smiled but turned serious within seconds. Aditi Singh, like Dinesh Pratap Singh, also served as a member of Congress. Aditi Singh contested the 2017 Assembly elections and became MLA from Rae Bareli Sadar seat.
But by 2019, Aditi Singh became disillusioned with the Congress and by 2022, she became the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2022, Aditi Singh will contest again from Rae Bareli seat, but the election symbol will be Lotus. Aditi Singh won a hard-fought contest. Aditi Singh married Angad Singh Saini, a Congress MP from Punjab, in 2019, but the two separated in 2023. Aditi Singh also cited the Gandhi family as the reason behind it. Since then, Aditi Singh has been an outspoken opponent of the Gandhi family.
Manoj Pandey is also the one doing the cross voting.
Besides Dinesh Pratap Singh and Aditi Singh, rebel SP MLA from Unchahar Manoj Pandey also participated in the meeting. It was during the Lok Sabha elections that Manoj Pandey defected from the SP and cross-voted. He has since been in touch with the BJP and visited the residences of current home ministers Amit Shah and Manoj Pandey during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Like Dinesh Pratap Singh and Aditi Singh, Rahul Gandhi also did not have any interaction with Manoj Pandey.
There was no communication during the 5-hour meeting
That said, during Disha’s meeting, which lasted about five hours, neither Rahul Gandhi, Dinesh Pratap Singh, Aditi Singh or Manoj Pandey attempted to communicate. All the district magistrates were seen talking to Harshita Mathur and asking only questions. After the meeting, when Rahul Gandhi quietly left, Dinesh Pratap Singh and Manoj Pandey opened a front against Rahul Gandhi and started blaming him for not letting Ray Bareilly developed.
