Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot a “friend”, thanking him for attending the launch here of a Vande Bharat Express even when he is going through a “political tussle” in the state.

Flagging off the state’s first Vande Bharat train virtually, the prime minister thanked Gehlot for being present at the event in Jaipur.