Rahul Gandhi stayed night with Dalit villagers

LUCKNOW: After a brief lull in activity immediately after the impressive Lok Sabha results from the state, the Congress General Secretary Rahul has again started touring Uttar Pradesh much to the discomfort of Chief Minister Mayawati. After a surprise tour of several districts in the state on Wednesday Rahul Gandhi once again chose to spend the night at a remote village in district Shravasti sharing meals with the Dalit villagers, an act which in the past has attracted harsh comments from the Dalit czarina Mayawati. Making its displeasure on Rahul’s latest forays in the state amply clear the state government is preparing to take up the issue such surprise visits with the centre on the ground that they amount a security lapse and pose a serious threat if the state administration is not taken into confidence. Rahul Gandhi took the state government and his party leaders, who were not even aware of his arrival, by surprise on Wednesday when he went on an extensive tour of the state by road accompanied only by his SPG security personnel. What was initially planned as a visit to his constituency Amethi to inspect the Lifeline Express, Rahul Gandhi suddenly converted it into a surprise tour of the state getting his cavalcade to turn towards Barabanki. His unexpected presence among the locals there caused a flutter and Rahul interacted with the locals asking them about their problems and issues. He then traveled to Bahraich, Gonda and Faizabad all along keeping the state government and Congress leaders wondering about his location and purpose of visit. The state police was thrown into a tizzy as it could not keep track of Rahul’s movement or confirm his next destination. Meanwhile Rahul Gandhi mingled freely with the locals wherever he halted along the way and also reportedly got a bad stretch of road on Gonda-Lucknow highway video recorded. Interestingly most of the places Rahul Gandhi visited were those which elected Congress leaders as their representatives in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Later again throwing up a surprise on his party leaders eager to welcome him and hoodwinking the state police Rahul Gandhi spent the night at a remote village in district Shrawasti. He stayed at the Chutkaideh village in Shravasti district where the Dalit Gram Pradhan Chhedi Pasi played his host. His presence at the village where he interacted with poor villagers and shared their dinner became clear only on Thursday morning. While Rahul Gandhi has been touring the state since last year in his effort to revive the Congress, his night halts at Dalit villages and sharing meals with them has earned him the ire of Dalit czarina Mayawati. She has repeatedly hit out at Rahul Gandhi for these acts calling it a sensing his efforts to woo the Dalit votebase from the BSP. His latest tour has once again raised the hackles between the two parties and Rahul Gandhi has clearly sent out the message that he was preparing for the bigger battle of UP assembly election 2012.