First, Sonia Gandhi flew economy on two different flights on Monday.  Now, Rahul Gandhi has set a new benchmark by taking the Shatabdi Train to Ludhiana from Delhi.  It's all a part of the Congress-led austerity drive, initiated by Sonia Gandhi.
 
Rahul Gandhi skipped first class to travel chair car.  He was offered flowers and water in a glass but he refused these, asking that he be treated like any other passenger. Chair car travelers get water in plastic cups, not glasses.  For breakfast, Gandhi was offered the standard omelette meal.
 
His security stood guard at the two toilets in his compartment.  
 
On Monday, Sonia Gandhi flew on an economy-class ticket from Delhi to Mumbai to inaugurate a new party office.  She then caught a Kingfisher flight to Bangalore.

The austerity drive began among the Congress, reportedly at Sonia Gandhi's behest, after media reports that two union ministers were staying, at their own expense, in five-star hotels. The ministers, SM Krishna and Shashi Tharoor, pointed out that their government houses were not ready, but have moved out of their hotels. Over the weekend, ministers like Pranab Mukherjee and Sharad Pawar flew economy class in keeping with the government's request for an austerity drive.

The Congress wants its ministers to cut back on expenses as a sign of solidarity with a country whose farmers have been hit hard by the drought. After objections from some of its allies in the UPA government, the Congress has asked its own ministers to give up first-class travel.