It isn’t everyday that your local MP, the scion of a powerful royal family and a Union minister to boot, drops by to make chapattis at your hut.
Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industries Jyotiraditya Scindia (38), scion of the former royal family of Gwalior, reached Simrod village in his constituency Guna (in Madhya Pradesh) at 9 p.m. Friday.
There, Jhitra Patelya (55), a resident of the village, invited him to share a meal with his family at his humble hut, not really expecting Scindia to accept.
When he did, Patelya was pleasantly surprised – and even unnerved. There was more surprise in store for the poor farmer.
Scindia sat on the floor of his hut and started to make the chapattis himself, deftly mixing the dough and rolling the rotis, while chatting up the family.
Spotting Patelya’s 12-year-old granddaughter Nanni, he asked: “Where do you study?”
Patelya sheepishly answered that Nanni had dropped out of school.
At this, Scindia immediately offered to make arrangements for Nanni’s education. Patelya was ecstatic. “He looks after us really well,” he said.
Scindia stayed with the family till midnight before leaving. He was accompanied by several local Congress leaders.
Later, speaking to the media, Scindia described the experience as “rare”.
He said that like his ancestors, he preferred to develop personal relations with people. The minister added that he was drawing inspiration from AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who regularly stays with poor people to get a feel of how they live.
{{/usCountry}}He said that like his ancestors, he preferred to develop personal relations with people. The minister added that he was drawing inspiration from AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who regularly stays with poor people to get a feel of how they live.
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