Rahul Gandhi stops convoy to help injured autorickshaw driver

In a brief but striking moment of compassion on Tuesday morning, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi halted his convoy outside his residence after noticing an injured autorickshaw driver by the roadside, as he was leaving for Bhopal.

Eyewitnesses said Rahul Gandhi stepped out of his vehicle and personally approached the injured man to inquire about his condition. After listening to his account, he instructed his associates to ensure the driver received immediate medical assistance.

Later speaking to IANS, the injured driver recounted the interaction: “Rahul Gandhi asked how I got hurt. I explained everything to him, and he told me to go to the hospital and get proper treatment.”

The episode unfolded shortly before Rahul Gandhi’s departure to Bhopal, where he is scheduled to join Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in leading a major protest against the interim India-US trade framework. The Congress has alleged that the proposed arrangement would adversely impact Indian farmers by opening domestic markets to cheaper American imports.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari announced that on 24 February 2026, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi would “raise their voice for the rights and privileges of farmers against the injustice being done to them in the India-US trade deal.”

Addressing the media, Patwari accused the Centre of yielding to US pressure, claiming the agreement has already depressed prices of key crops such as soybean, cotton and maize. He described the framework as a “compromise deal imposed with a sword on farmers’ necks,” asserting that cultivators across Madhya Pradesh would bear the brunt of its consequences.

The protest in Bhopal will take the form of a Kisan Sammelan, or farmers’ convention, marking the launch of a wider campaign across states considered agriculturally vulnerable — including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Bihar.

According to Madhya Pradesh Congress media in-charge and former minister Mukesh Nayak, the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ will be held at Atal Path in the Jawahar Chowk area, with more than one lakh farmers expected to attend. The programme is scheduled to begin around 2 pm with the arrival of Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

Organisers have erected two large domes at the venue, along with a sprawling stage designed to accommodate nearly 250 party leaders and office-bearers, underscoring the scale and political significance of the gathering.

With IANS inputs