Chennai: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday interacted with hundreds of college students at the Stella Maris College as the part of the party’s outreach programme ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
In one of the more memorable moments from his interaction, the Congress chief requested one of the students, who rose to ask a question, to address him as 'Rahul' and not 'sir'.
As the girl began her question with ‘Hi Sir’, Rahul told her, “Can you call me Rahul instead of sir?” taking the girl by surprise. His question also prompted a loud shriek from the rest of the young audience. Rahul added, “It makes me more comfortable,” even as the audience continued to scream in approval.
After much giggling and laughter, Azra, a student from the department of finance, asked, “The question I have for you, Rahul, is that the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research faced huge funding problems.”
To which, Rahul replied, "We are convinced India is spending less on education, our target is 6 per cent. It is not only about spending money on education, but also independence on education. All our educational institutions should be able to challenge us...I want you all to make me uncomfortable.”
All this while, Rahul Gandhi was dressed in a grey T-shirt and jeans instead of his usual white kurta and jacket.
