Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh strongly reacted to Mr. Gadkari’s action, saying it reflected the "attitude of the leader and the party".

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari rode into a controversy on Saturday when he was caught on camera entering the RSS headquarters here on a scooter without wearing a helmet in violation of traffic rules.

TV channels showed him riding his white-coloured scooter to the Sangh headquarters in the Mahal area of the city to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat amid efforts by the party to form a government in Maharashtra.

When presspersons pointed out the violation of rules, Mr. Gadkari refused to comment, and entered the premises with a man riding pillion and another scooter in tow.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said it reflected the “attitude of the leader and the party, whether they believe in following the rules or not.” “It is a very small thing, and for anyone else, it wouldn’t have mattered ... for the Transport Minister of the government of India, who is violating the law which he had to be enforcing, then it does make a difference,” he said. It was not immediately known if the Nagpur Police were contemplating booking the Union Minister for violating traffic rules.