lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Apr 22, 2020 05:49 IST

“Can you call me Rahul instead of sir? It makes me comfortable,” Congress president Rahul Gandhi told a young woman student during an interactive session at Chennai’s Stella Maris College. The event, however, was filled with many candid moments.

The student, Azra was left blushing as the crowd went hyper, cheering loudly and applauding Rahul.

A blushing Azra then responded saying she was really nervous. Her “Hi Rahul” got more cheers and applause and more again when she stressed on “Rahul” again.

The Congress president put another student, Khushi, in a spot when she referred to him as “Rahul sir”.

“You have slotted the sir in,” he told her, drawing giggles from the crowd.

Rahul, clad in black T-shirt and blue jeans, again charmed the audience when he was told that the college’s light music team had something to ask.

His response, before the question came in: “Don’t ask me to sing,” had the crowd hooting.

The Congress leader again put another student in a spot when in response to her question on Congress’s stance on demonetisation, he answered with a question to her: “Tell me what do you think about demonetisation?”

And quickly added with yet another one: “Did you like demonetisation?” to which he drew a thunderous “No” from the crowd and the girl.

Drawing more cheers, he said that it was a pity that the Prime Minister “did not come and take your advice before he did demonetisation because he would have got the right answer.” He then went on to tear into the government’s economic policies.

At another instance, the 48-year-old politician tried to portray himself as young. While talking about his hug with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he recalled the 2014 defeat of Congress in the Lok Sabha elections to explain how it had helped him.

He said, “In 2014, I was a young politician,” then quickly quipped, “I am still young, but, slightly older,” drawing cheers again before he continued with his point.

Rahul also drew cheers for saying that south India and Tamil Nadu were better than north in treatment of women and a standing ovation at the end of the session.