Rahul Gandhi set a new benchmark in the Congress led austerity drive by taking the Shatabdi Train to Ludhiana from Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)

The Haryana Police has said it is not taking the stoning of the Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express carrying Rahul Gandhi lightly. The police are likely to question people near the railway crossing at Ghokrunda, where the incident happened. (PTI Photo)

Questions are being raised about austerity versus security. Security experts say train travel is more problematic than flying because of frequent stops and chance of unscheduled halts, and it's difficult to frisk other passengers. They say what Rahul did cannot and should not be done regularly. (PTI)

On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi skipped first class to travel by the chair car instead of the more expensive executive class. He was offered flowers and water in a glass but he refused these, asking that he be treated like any other passenger. (PTI Photo)

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, the Congress general secretary arrived at the New Delhi railway station by the Swarn Shatabdi Express on Tuesday from Ludhina. (PTI Photo)

He was met by several reporters and had to negotiate his way through a crowded station when he got off at the New Delhi railway station on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

Media persons thronged the coach of the Swarn Shatabdi Express in which Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was travelling from Ludhiana to New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)