By IANS,
Mohali (Punjab) : Punjab’s Youth Congress needs to be put on the fast-track and that is perhaps why Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Monday chose a BMW sports utility vehicle (SUV) to get on with his whirlwind tour of the state.
In his first major trip to the state to rejuvenate the party, especially its youth wing, Gandhi started with a packed schedule – dropping some scheduled engagements and picking up new ones en route.
After literally catching everyone, from police officials to party leaders, napping after he paid a completely unscheduled visit to pay obeisance at Harmandar Sahib, the Sikh shrine in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, the Amethi MP wrapped up a couple of engagement in Chandigarh near here in a matter of a few minutes.
Clad in a white kurta-payjama with sneakers, his next stop was to witness a Kabaddi match. Gandhi witnessed the match for a good 25 minutes, sipping litchi juice.
“I am very happy to be in Punjab. Punjabi youth have so much leadership potential. It was good to see the (kabaddi) match. I enjoyed it very much,” Gandhi told a motley group of youngsters who had gathered at the Dusshera grounds here for his visit.
To add some Punjabi flavour to his visit, Gandhi was tied a yellow turban which, of course, he could not keep on his head for long. But he swung a sword, given to him here by local leaders, in the air.
At another gathering at a village near Sirhind town, 50 km from here, he said: “I am missing sweet lassi. I will have it very soon.”
Gandhi sat on the front seat of his bullet-proof SUV throughout his journey, rolling down the window to wave at people once in a while.
Gandhi will cover 17 of Punjab’s 20 districts in his two-day trip ending Tuesday.