In an embarrassment to the Congress, its scion Rahul Gandhi seemed to be dozing through the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's speech on the issue over the thrashing of four Dalit youths in Gujarat's Una, in the Lok Sabha. As soon as the Congress benches erupted in protest over Rajnath's remarks, television footage started coming inescapably showing Rahul Gandhi sleeping with his forehead resting in his palm.

While his party's Lok Sabha chief Mallikarjun Kharge and his fellow MPs were on their feet shouting their objections, Rahul seemed to be in deep sleep. Nothing interrupted his sound sleep while Rahul made Parliament his bedroom.

This however is not the first time that cameras have caught Rahul sleeping in the Parliament.

TV footage telecast live from the Lok Sabha showed the Congress vice-president sitting in his chair in the hall with his hand covering his eyes and half his face and for all intents and purposes not listening to the crucial happenings in this hallowed hall with the government looking to calm down the Opposition leaders who had gathered in the Well of the House to protest the brutal assault on 4 Dalit youths on July 11 for ostensibly skinning a cow in Una.

"If Rahul Gandhi is sleeping, this shows how serious they are about the issue," BSP supremo Mayawati saids, accusing the Congress Party of trying to hijack the issue.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Gandhi was the "sleeping prince" who plunge the Congress Party into a "slumber."

This came as a shocking revelation on live TV and left viewers wondering how serious the MP of the second largest party in India is about doing his job.

By Premji