Monday was not Rahul Gandhi’s day. Despite preparations which began well in advance for the Congress scion’s rally in the party’s traditional bastion Phulpur, a constituency which his grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru had represented in parliament, everything went awfully awry.

The day began with Samajwadi Party workers waving black flags to Gandhi the moment his chopper landed there. There were some black flags at the venue too, being waved by a few SP workers who had sneaked in. They also shouted ‘Rahul go back’ slogans. As tempers ran high, a scuffle ensued between Congress workers and SP protesters. When the police chased away the protesters, Congress leaders gave chase too. Union minister Jitin Prasada was seen beating up a protester. Eyewitnesses said UP Congress legislature party leader Pramod Tiwari, who slipped and fell down in his first attempt, recovered to beat up some more.

However, the worst was yet to come. In a naïve attempt to bring some heat into an otherwise cold public, Gandhi referred to UP workers going to Maharashtra as “beggars”, trying to stir an old debate which once earned political mileage for the Thackerays.

While the political experts questioned the need for such an offensive statement, his opponents seemed least bothered. SP state president Akhilesh Yadav had announced on Sunday that his party will show Rahul a mirror. And that’s what the rally will be more remembered than anything else.

Postscript: Digvijay Singh, the Congress general secretary in charge of UP affairs, was seen clicking photographs of Rahul Gandhi once the latter spoke at the rally in Phulpur, Allahabad. A poster boy’s poster book on his mind?

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(PTI) Launching congress party's election campaign symbolically from late Jawaharlal Nehru's constituency, Rahul Gandhi on Monday unleashed a scathing attack on Mayawati government calling it "corrupt and insensitive".

He also accused the BSP government of diverting funds given by the centre for development schemes which he alleged went to the pockets ruling party workers and contractors.

"Uttar Pradesh has been going backwards. Nehru was an MP from here but mafia and criminals are MPs from here these days," Gandhi said addressing a Congress rally marking 123rd birth anniversary of the first prime minister of India.

"There has been no progress in this state. I have been in politics for seven years. In these years, I have learnt the most from the people of Uttar Pradesh," he said.

"The government in Delhi made MNREGA which says every individual should get work. But in Bundelkhand, it was not the case.... Crores of rupees which we sent vanished....The BSP workers, contractors profited from them while the poor were left gaping," he said.

"People from UP are much sought after in other states like Maharashtra and Punjab for their hard work. But, ironically, their own state is languishing in abject poverty", he said.

Attacking the police administration, he said in Mulayam Singh Yadav's tenure, police stations were virtually run by goondas and when people went to lodge FIRs, counter cases were slapped on them.

"Even under the present regime, people cannot get FIRs lodged unless they greased the palms of police officials.

There is corruption everywhere. If you want to lodge an FIR, you have to pay money. If your daughter is raped and if you don't have money, then you cannot lodge an FIR," he said.

Gandhi claimed he had got a package of Rs 3,000 crore for weavers of Aligarh but the money did not go into the hands of the people.

"The weavers came to us and said the money you are sending is not reaching us...So we made changes and the money now goes into the bank accounts of the weavers," he said.

The 40-year-old MP from Amethi said a leader can understand the plight of the poor only when one visits the people and shares meals with them.

"The people of Uttar Pradesh have taught me that to become a leader one has to go to the people.... Till a leader does not eat in a poor man's house, he cannot understand the problems of the poor.... Till he does not get an upset stomach, does not fall ill, he does not understand poverty," Gandhi said.

In a scathing attack on the Mayawati government for misuse of central development funds and corruption, he said he took up the case of Bundelkhand with the centre which gave the region a special package of Rs 7,000 crore but it did not result on any tangible work on ground.

"The chief minister toured various parts of the state, but did not care to go to the area reeling under severe drought", Gandhi alleged.

"Another package of Rs 3,000 crore was sanctioned for weavers but they were apprehensive that the money would be swallowed up by the corrupt as their committees constituted by governments did not have proper representative character", Gandhi said.

The Congress general secretary said as he visited hit poverty-hit countryside, "the people said they had heard of centre's MNREGA scheme but had not got any work under it. Similarly, the funds granted under the National Rural Health Mission were siphoned off and did not reach the targeted group of needy mothers".

Gandhi said the government is going to bring forward a food security bill but he wondered "Who will actually get the food in UP? People or the BSP workers?"

He charged the Mayawati government with having acquired thousands of acres of land of farmers and giving it to rich builders.

"When the people protested against it in Bhatta Parasaul, as they had not got reasonable compensation, atrocities were committed on their women and the people were fired upon by the police and branded as naxalites".

Gandhi said the centre has brought forward a pro-farmer land acquisition bill "But opposition parties were against it. They were not saying anything openly but voicing their opposition in the comittee deliberations".

Rahul natural choice: Nitish

(PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said Rahul Gandhi was a "natural choice" to lead the Congress, but maintained it was the internal matter of the party.

"It is for the Congress to decide which assignments the party will be giving to whom and when...it is internal matter of the party," Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of the 'Janata Darbar' programme in Patna.

"But it is obvious that Rahul Gandhi is a natural choice for the party," he added.

Kumar dismissed the report that he had described Rahul as an immature politician in the past.

To another question, the chief minister said he was yet to know whether JD(U) would have an electoral understanding with its senior partner BJP in assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

"We JD(U) had an alliance with BJP in last assembly poll in Uttar Pradesh... but what will happen this time is not known to me," he said.

Kumar said his party was doing its work in Uttar Pradesh and trying to reach out to the people.