Hundreds of rail passengers were taken by surprise on Tuesday morning when they saw Dumri MLA Jagannath Mahto selling peanuts on the Gomoh-Chopan train.

No, the VIP has not changed his vocation, but rather turned vendor for close to one-and-a-half-hour to throw his weight behind hundreds of hawkers who have been banned from selling various kinds of items on trains plying on the CIC section under Dhanbad division of East Central Railway.

Divisional railway manager (DRM), Dhanbad, B.B. Singh had passed the ban order in the second week of October, citing financial losses to the railways as the hawkers boarded the trains without tickets. Following the directive, a few vendors were even arrested for ticket-less travel.

JMM's Mahto, who is popular for going out of his way to help the needy, soon met the DRM, requesting him to revoke the order as it was the question of livelihood of the hapless hawkers.

Though Singh promised to look into the matter, nothing concrete happened, prompting the MLA to adopt this unique form of protest.

With several supporters in tow, Mahto boarded the Gomoh-Chopan Passenger as soon as the train pulled in at Chandrapura junction around 10.10am on Tuesday.

He then went around with a wooden tray filled with peanuts, urging the passengers to buy the snack and show solidarity with the vendors.

He remained on the train for around 70 minutes and then alighted at Jarangdih station, where hundreds of vendors gave him a warm welcome. Mahto was also received by many hawkers at Bermo railway station on the way to Jarangdih.

"This is the achche din that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to the people? The government has failed to generate employment and now that people are fending for themselves to earn money, the railways have banned vendors on trains," he told The Telegraph .

"I, along with Nirsa MLA Arup Chatterjee and former MLA Vinod Singh, had met Dhanbad DRM B.B. Singh on October 16, asking him to issue concessional monthly passes to vendors, which would have earned the railways revenue while allowing the hawkers to sell their products on trains. But nothing happened," the MLA added.

He further pointed out that he had started this protest to create public opinion against the railways and the present government. "Today's protest was symbolic but if the vendors are not allowed to sell their products on trains within the next few days, a bigger agitation will be launched."

The rail vendors agreed with the MLA, saying that they were ready to buy railway passes.

"We are ready to buy monthly passes for travelling on trains and abide by all rules. Let the railways allow us to earn our livelihood," said Ranjit Sao, one of the vendors.