Late to training, Rahul Gandhi gets 10 push-ups as punishment

Dubai: Being late to class has consequences — even if you’re Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress leader’s tardy arrival at a party training session in Madhya Pradesh’s scenic Pachmarhi didn’t go unnoticed. The penalty? Ten push-ups.

NDTV, quoting party sources, said the incident unfolded during the ‘Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan’, a Congress organisational boot camp aimed at reviving the party’s ground network. The rule was simple: no one escapes punishment for being late — not even the Leader of the Opposition.

When training head Sachin Rao reminded Gandhi of the rule, the Congress MP laughed and asked what the penalty was. Rao’s reply: “At least ten push-ups.” Gandhi, dressed in a white T-shirt and trousers, instantly hit the floor — setting an example that had district Congress presidents following suit.

What began as a “punishment” quickly turned into a team-building moment — and a rare fitness challenge the Congress seemed happy to embrace.

“Everyone took it sportingly,” a smiling Gandhi said later, adding that the session was about discipline and unity — not just push-ups.

Gandhi, who briefly took time out from the Bihar election campaign, used the event to sharpen his attacks on the BJP and the Election Commission, alleging large-scale poll irregularities. He claimed similar issues in Madhya Pradesh and promised to release evidence “one by one.”

The BJP, never one to miss a punchline, seized the moment.
“LoP means Leader of Paryatan and partying for Rahul Gandhi,” quipped party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on X, mocking the Congress leader for “holidaying” in Pachmarhi amid the Bihar polls.

As one observer joked, the Congress’s latest fitness drive might not win seats — but it’s at least ensuring the party’s top brass stay in shape.