The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Monday expelled its national spokesperson Shankar Charan Tripathi after he criticised Congress President Rahul Gandhi for hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on Friday, ANI reported. The Congress is an ally of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar.

After launching a scathing attack on Modi while speaking on the Opposition’s no confidence motion against the government last week, Gandhi walked up to the prime minister and hugged him. After returning to his seat, Gandhi was caught smiling broadly and winking apparently at a colleague.

Tripathi on Sunday said Gandhi’s behaviour was childish and that it was not expected from a person considered to be a prime ministerial candidate. “He has been a parliamentarian for the past 15 years,” Tripathi told The Telegraph. “It was not expected from a leader like him to wink on the floor of the House. So many cameras are installed in the house. Ward and watch people are also there. In such a situation he winked.”

Tripathi further said: “His act was akin to that of [actor] Priya Prakash Varrier, whose act of winking in a clip of the movie Oru Adaar Love propelled her to stardom.”