Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy on Monday was snapped travelling in a sleeper class coach of a train, from Kottayam to Thiruvanathapuram, a distance of 160 kilometres. According to reports, a Twitter user on
Monday clicked Chandy sleeping in the train, with no security personnel around. Chandy garnered much love on social media but seemed surprised by the attention.
"I prefer traveling in sleeper class on trains which don't have a heavy rush, especially the long-distance ones," he was quoted as saying by NDTV. Chandy added that travelling this way helps him to interact with people. But this is not the first time Chandy has been snapped shunning VIP culture.
This is Kerala Ex CM Shri @Oommen_Chandy travelling in Coach s13 of Sabari xprs from Ktym to TVM without ny security just lyk a common man pic.twitter.com/GshtBiEgnX
— Asif Hameed (@asifgoa) October 10, 2016
Weeks after losing the state election to the LDF alliance in May, Chandy rode a bus from Kollam to Thiruvananthapuram, a distance of around 70 kms, because he couldn't get a train ticket and didn't want to miss an important political meeting in the capital.
While he was Chief Minister, he was photographed walking after leaving a train that had stalled. Instead of waiting for his official convoy, he simply walked away.
Chandy is definitely an exception in a political class that receives VIP treatment almost as a matter of right. Weeks ago, a group of parliamentarians sought to impress upon airlines that they should, on account of their designations, get specially priced seats, access to VIP lounges even if they are flying coach, and receive special assistance to board and disembark.
