Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined the queue of commoners at an ATM in central Delhi.
Lakhs across India spent long hours at banks and ATMs on Friday trying to withdraw cash after Prime Minister Narendra Modi suddenly declared ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes “worthless pieces of paper”.
Gandhi, one of the most protected politicians in India, plunged right into the scrum at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch at Parliament Street.
“I have come to exchange ₹4,000. My people are suffering, I have come to stand with them,” the Congress Vice President told reporters.
Taking a swipe at PM Modi and the government, he said “the government should be for these people, not a select 10 or 15 people who are not here and suffering”.
Gandhi gamely posed for selfies with customers who were stunned to find a VIP in their midst.
Asked repeatedly why he was there, Gandhi replied: “You will not understand that. You or your millionaire bosses or the media or the government will never understand what these people are suffering.”