In a symbolic outreach to the aam admi (common man), India’s Prime Minister Modi had a weekend surprise: he decided to forego his VVIP convoy and took the Airport Express from Dhaula Kuan to get to Dwarka, where he is to inaugurate the National Intelligence Academy.
“Really enjoyed the ride. Thanks Delhi Metro. Thanks Sreedharan ji!” he tweeted after the ride. He shared that the ‘Metro man’, as E. Sreedharan is fondly known as, would always tell him to experience the Delhi Metro. Sreedharan is widely seen as the man behind the flawless execution of the Delhi metro project.
The Delhi Metro witnessed a record 2.7 million footfalls last August, which is expected to jump to 4 million after the completion of the third phase by 2016. The Delhi Metro has been instrumental in reducing congestion on roads, providing an eco-friendly, comfortable and a quick mode of transport for the people of Delhi.
Praising the prime minister, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said, “PM set an example today, used the metro just like all of us in public use daily. He is thus sending a message that all of us should use the metro regularly. He also advised his ministers that they should use a bicycle more often,”
Mr Modi has now set an example for other ministers to follow suit. After the drubbing the BJP received at the Delhi assembly elections, it would do the party good if its leaders reach out and engage in a similar manner, especially after the Aam Aadmi Party, which scored a landslide victory in the Delhi state polls, but since then has plunged into protracted feuding among top party leaders.
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