india

Updated: Oct 18, 2019 22:22 IST

Former Congress President and party’s star campaigner Rahul Gandhi turned his chopper’s emergency landing at a Rewari college in Haryana into an opportunity to play cricket with the local boys when returning to Delhi after addressing an election rally.

Gandhi’s chopper had to make an emergency landing at KLP College on Friday evening due to bad weather after he had pitched in at the last minute for his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and addressed an election crowd in Mahendragarh. Sonia Gandhi was down with viral infection, Rahul said at the rally.

Haryana goes to polls on Monday, October 21.

Rewari Deputy Commissioner Yashendra Singh told PTI that Gandhi spent about 20 minutes at the college ground before proceeding to Delhi.

“There was an emergency landing.... The helicopter landed safely at Rewari,” Singh said. Rahul left for Delhi by road.

During his short stay, Gandhi decided to join the local boys playing cricket on the college grounds. A video shows the Congress leader, decked in white Kurta-Payjama, straight driving and cutting while the local players take turn to bowl at him.

An aide of former Haryana minister Ajay Singh Yadav told PTI that the players clicked selfies with Rahul.