At the Hooda lunch, young Congress leaders reserved their attention for party veteran Ahmed Patel. Political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Patel is also in the thick of things in the protests against demonetisation led by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. As it was evident that Patel would be a key person advising Rahul Gandhi, young party leaders continuously praised the speech he (Patel) made at a party event against demonetisation on January 11. There were repeated demands from the young party leaders that Patel repeat some of the Urdu couplets he had read during his speech. An embarrassed — but also delighted — Patel eventually succumbed to the flattery.
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