Chandigarh, March 10 Nearly three years after Rahul Gandhi joined local farmer Sanjay Malik in planting paddy in the fields of Madina village in Haryana's Sonipat, the Congress leader returned to the village on Tuesday to attend his daughter's wedding, much to the delight of the local community.
Gandhi had promised to stand by Malik and his family through every joy and sorrow, and today, the "Jannayak" (people's leader) became a part of their family's happiness, the Congress said on X.
According to the Congress, Gandhi first met Malik during an impromptu stop in Madina village in July 2023 while on a trip to Shimla, and listened to the struggles faced by the farming families while working in the fields alongside him.
On Tuesday, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha reached the village in the morning, where he was received by the party's Rohtak MP, Deepender Singh Hooda, and other leaders, before proceeding to attend the wedding of Tanu, Malik's daughter.
The family had earlier invited Gandhi for the ceremony, party sources said.
Dressed in a white T-shirt and green trousers, Gandhi savored traditional Haryanvi dishes, including 'churma', a glass of milk, and Gohana's famous 'jalebis'.
He also interacted with Malik's family members and villagers, who tied a turban on him as a mark of respect.
"Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, attended the wedding ceremony of the daughter of farmer Sanjay Malik in Sonipat," the Congress said in a post on X in Hindi.
"Jannayak (people's leader) Rahul Gandhi first met Sanjay ji in 2023. He worked alongside him in the fields and listened to the stories of the struggles faced by the farming families," it said, sharing images of the Congress leader's visit on Tuesday.
Malik's family and the villagers told Gandhi that they were very happy that he made time to attend the wedding in a farmer's family, the Congress said.
In a short video shared by the party on X, Gandhi can be seen mingling with the family and the villagers, telling them that his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi sent their congratulations to Malik's family.
Priyanka also spoke to the family over the phone, after her brother dialed her number.
After the Congress leader left, an elderly woman from the family told reporters, "We are very happy that Rahul Gandhi came to attend the wedding ceremony of an ordinary farmer."
"He also took milk and churma with him," quipped a young family member.
Deepender Hooda later said on X, "In an era where prominent leaders vie with one another to attend the weddings of wealthy industrialists, Rahul Gandhi today fulfilled his promise of 'Kanyadaan' by attending the wedding of the daughter of Sanjay, the farmer in whose field he had helped plant paddy nearly three years ago."
During his impromptu stop at Madina in July 2023, Gandhi, apart from sowing paddy, drove a tractor and ate the food brought by women labourers working in the fields.
On an invitation from Gandhi, the farmers later met the Congress leader in Delhi and had lunch with him.