Barabanki:
Days after the uproar over his statement about Uttar Pradesh migrants begging for work in other states, Rahul Gandhi explained his controversial remark. The Congress General Secretary said in Barabanki, where he started his Jan Sampark Yatra, "people sat in studios and criticised me, but I will ask them to speak to the children on the traffic signals. They will tell you that they are from UP."
At a rally in Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh a week back, Mr Gandhi told the thousands gathered that their state was regressing under the leadership of "the mafia" who runs the state. "How long will you beg in Maharashtra (for work)? How long will you work as a labourer in Punjab? It will take only five years and the change will come," he said, asking the crowd to give the Congress "a chance for five years."
The statement drew flack from almost all political quarters including Congress's ally NCP.
Today during his rally in Barabanki, Mr Gandhi was a little more cautious when he addressed the issue again. The 41-year-old attacked the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government saying that Central funds meant for the poor weren't reaching the people of the state.
"The country has moved forward and you are lagging behind. If you do not move forward, then you will have to go to the rest of the country like you do," the Congress General Secretary said at the rally. "You go to Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana to work and you will have to keep doing that," Mr Gandhi said.
(Read: Rahul Gandhi begins Jan Sampark Yatra, takes on Mayawati) Earlier today, protesting against alleged discrepancies in distribution of tickets for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, a group of Congressmen jumped in front of Rahul Gandhi's cavalcade at Amausi airport.
The incident took place when the Congress general secretary, who is on a five-day tour of the state, was leaving the airport for Barabanki, party sources said.
However, alert security men set them aside, they said.
Later, talking to reporters, one of the protesters Mehndi Hasan, said they wanted to meet Rahul to protest the denial of ticket to Subodh Srivastava from Lucknow central seat.
He said the ticket was given to Fakhir Siddiqui, who had recently joined Congress after he was sacked from the Bahujan Samaj Party. Senior leaders had assured them that their meeting with Rahul would be fixed but it was not done, he claimed.
During the tour, Rahul will visit Barabanki, Bahraich, Shravasti, Siddharth Nagar and Kushinagar and meet party workers.
(With PTI inputs)