India, Dec. 25 -- In June 2001, then Congress president Sonia Gandhi was in New York. Party leader Natwar Singh, who accompanied her, wanted to add more weightage to her tour and contacted then National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra at the Prime Minister's Office.

Hours later, the Government of India's plans for the United Nations' Special Assembly on HIV/AIDS were overhauled. Instead of then Union health minister CP Thakur, Gandhi - the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha -delivered the opening speech at the UN.

Six months later, after Parliament was attacked on December 13, 2021. Gandhi was the first Opposition leader to dial Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. When the Lok Sabha reassembled the next day, Vajpayee famously sa...