Shouting on the job

Pictures of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi ostensibly having dozed off during Lok Sabha proceedings went viral on social media last week. The Gandhi scion, however, was only the most recognisable of names and faces among MPs who allegedly were caught napping by in-house cameras. But hectic parliamentary action and shouting on subjects such as a freelance journalist's meeting with a terrorist have meant little opportunity for our public representatives to snooze. On Thursday, Biju Janata Dal MP B J Panda revealed the secret behind all that shouting both Houses witnessed this past week. He tweeted with the hashtag TrueStory: "overheard two colleagues - MP1: Why were you shouting so much in Parliament today? MP2: To keep myself from falling asleep…"