On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a ride in the Airport Express Metro from Dhaula Kuan to Dwarka to travel route India International Convention and Expo Centre. He completed his ride in 18 minutes. After that he laid the foundation stone of the IICC building.
A senior DMRC official said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled in Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line today. He boarded a metro train at Dhaula Kuan Metro Station at 3:13 pm and travelled up to Dwarka Sec-21 Metro Station, leaving the station at 3:27 pm.”
Travelled on the Delhi Metro to Dwarka, and on the way back.
I had gone there to lay the foundation stone for a state of the art convention centre. Here are pictures from the Metro. pic.twitter.com/3dCS2JHnQQ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 20, 2018
In the train, commuters were surprised and happy to see the Prime Minister amidst them. PM Modi also entertained the wishes of commuters to take selfies with him. Many people interacted with him during the journey.
PM Modi has been using the metro service to reach the distant venues in order to avoid unnecessary traffic jam which occurs due to VVIP movement. It has also saved his commuting time. Furthermore, the road commuters would have faced many difficulties due to road blockage on the account of VVIP movement on the roads. Thus travelling by Metro he saved his own precious as well as the important time of common folks.
Earlier, also PM Modi has taken the Metro ride in Delhi. In July, he had travelled by Metro to travel to Noida along with South Korean counterpart. In Noida, the two leaders inaugurated Samsung mobile plant.
#WATCH Delhi: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and PM Narendra Modi in the Metro while on their way to the Samsung plant in Noida pic.twitter.com/8FSTOK5jyg
— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2018
It’s not just PM Modi, but other BJP ministers also have been seen travelling by public transport. Railways and Coal and Corporate Affairs minister has been seen many times travelling by metro.
How many RTs for this Power Minister @PiyushGoyal Travels in Metro without any Camera drama. Electrifying India. pic.twitter.com/uckucNvNEG
— Aashish (@kashmiriRefuge) January 27, 2016
We have an Aam Aadmi Party which travels metro for headlines and then we have @PiyushGoyal RT pic.twitter.com/oBQ70qXdsx
— Aashish (@kashmiriRefuge) January 27, 2016
When the current Minister of Commerce Suresh Prabhu was Railway minister, he had travelled in Mumbai locals and also interacted with the commuters.
It’s good to see that big faces of Indian politics are using public transport. Gestures like these encourage more and more people to use public transport. Other BJP leaders should learn from the PM Modi, Piyush Goyal and Suresh Prabhu. It would be good for the country. As the saying goes, “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.” Other ministers should also give up their VIP mentality and embrace simplicity. Crores of tax-payers money gets wasted on VVIP treatment and entitlement of elected representatives of the country. Some people enter into politics only to enjoy the luxury and attention, they become politicians not to serve the country but to get ‘noticed.’