Vijender Singh and Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh.
Olympic medallist boxer and Congress leader Vijender Singh today walked with Rahul Gandhi for a few kilometres after joining the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh.
The two were seen talking to each other animatedly, and also twirling their moustaches -- a nod to the boxer's native Haryanvi style -- in a video shared by the party's Twitter handle.
Vijender Singh, originally from Bhiwani district in Haryana, had fought the last Lok Sabha election from South Delhi but stood third. He is best known for his bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which made him the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. He has two silvers and one bronze in Commonwealth Games too. He is currently a professional boxer and fights in several countries.
The moustache-twirling brings focus yet again on Rahul Gandhi's growing, bushy facial hair that's attracted compliments from those seeing it as a sign of on-the-road commitment, and some jibes too, such as comparisons to the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Vijender Singh is one of the few celebrities -- albeit he is an active Congress member, too -- who have joined the 3,500-km Yatra that began from Kanyakumari in September and is scheduled to end in Kashmir early next year.
Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt has also walked with Rahul Gandhi, as have veteran actor-director Amol Palekar, besides Bollywood and TV actors such as Riya Sen, Mona Ambegaonkar, Rashami Desai and Sushant Singh, among others.
Politically, as the Yatra will next enter Congress-ruled Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi will run into the bitter power struggle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his rival Sachin Pilot, besides facing questions from communities seeking reservation.