Union ministers criticise Rahul Gandhi for using phone during prez speech

New Delhi: Several BJP leaders and ministers criticised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for looking at his mobile phone during President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the joint sitting of Parliament here on Thursday.

Terming it as "unfortunate", Union Minister Giriraj Singh called Gandhi a "non-serious" leader. "He is a tall leader of a party.The President was presenting a roadmap about the country's progress in the next five years. It is extremely unfortunate that a leader who calls himself a serious leader but is not serious," he said.

"Nothing can be more unfortunate than his using a mobile phone and does not pay heed to what the president was saying," Singh said.

Minister of State of Sports Kiren Rijiju also criticised the Congress president and said, "Rahul Gandhi keeps playing with his phone. He should practice yoga to focus on himself."

Minister of State for Environment Babul Supiyo said that Gandhi has no interest even in own his party and he may have found "something more important" that President Kovind's speech.

"He may have something more important in his mobile than the President's address or about what the government is going to do in its tenure," he said.

A video purportedly showing Rahul Gandhi using his mobile phone during President's customary address at Thursday's joint sitting of Parliament went viral on the social media.