On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi rode a train from the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, where he delivered a speech, to the state capital Raipur, where he spoke to passengers.

He was in the state, which is run by the Congress, for a day-long visit before the end-of-the-year Assembly elections.

In the late afternoon, Gandhi traveled about 125 kilometers from Raipur to attend the Congress government’s “Awas Nyay Sammelan” event on housing at the Parsada (Sakri) hamlet of the Takhatpur development block of Bilaspur district.

After the occasion, the Lok Sabha MP, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja, and State Unit President Dipak Baij, among others, boarded the Bilaspur-Itwari Intercity train from Bilaspur. They occupied the sleeper coach so that they get to interact with common people.

At 5:50 p.m., the train arrived at Raipur Railway Station, where a sizable contingent of Congress supporters and leaders, including party MLA Kuldip Juneja, greeted Gandhi.

According to State Congress Chief Baij, Gandhi engaged with other passengers on the train, including youngsters. A young woman Gandhi spoke to on the train revealed that she plays hockey and informed the Congressman about the deteriorating state of the astroturf field in Rajnandgaon.

Gandhi questioned about training and other facilities being provided at the Khelo India Centre in Rajnandgaon to players, said a man accompanying the athletes.

The Rajnandgaon district native stated, “I told him that we want new grass in the stadium”. There were some more hockey players with her.

Gandhi also addressed youngsters while getting chocolates and wafers for them from train vendors. Besides, he signed autographs for people who requested him and was spotted walking freely through the train.

It’s interesting that Gandhi made the gesture on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized his past activities of visiting with ordinary people, albeit he avoided mentioning the Congress leader. “Some Congress leaders who were born with silver spoons in their mouths consider the habitations of poor people as picnic and video shoot spots,” Modi had said at a BJP workers’ meeting in Bhopal,” he had said.