Lucknow:
Vishal Yadav is a happy man. He got to drive Rahul Gandhi around Barabanki in Eastern UP, and was tipped Rs 3500 by the Congress leader.
Gandhi's trip, however, has left others less impressed - especially the Uttar Pradesh police. They claim that Rahul sneaked into the state, broke protocol by not informing them of his plans, and went missing for 18 hours. He finally surfaced late Wednesday night in the remote village of Shravasti, where he spent the night with a Dalit family.
Ramu, a villager, can scarcely believe what he saw: "He ate with us, then he asked everyone about their problems. In the morning, he walked around out fields and asked us about our tractors."
Rahul Gandhi's surprise tour started around 3 pm on Wednesday afternoon, when he was spotted leaving an Indian Airlines flight at the Lucknow airport. He was then seen on the streets of Lucknow, seated in an Innova, with his security following him in 3 SUVS.
But the UP police forms the outer cover of Rahul Gandhi's security, and it's responsible for securing any places he's scheduled to visit. Mahesh Gupta, Home Secretary, says the state government will complain to the centre about Gandhi's visit. This, however, may be prompted more by politics than security. The UP chief minister has never concealed her dislike for the Gandhis and their trips to their constituencies and other parts of her state.
The Congress has dismissed UP's complaints, attributing them to Mayawati's insecurity. Party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan says, "All procedures were followed, and the SPG was informed. After that, it's the state government's responsibility."
Gandhi's security has been a recurring concern lately. Last month, he travelled by train between Delhi and Ludhiana for an official function. On his way back to Delhi, Gandhi's Shatabdi Express was stoned near Panipat in Haryana. Gandhi was not hurt; the windows of 3 coaches were shattered. His train journey was part of an austerity drive launched by the Congress at the behest of his mother, Sonia Gandhi.
She wants her MPs and ministers to show solidarity with a country struck by drought and rising prices. So Congress leaders have been asked to fly economy, and reduce their official expenditure. To lead by example, Sonia Gandhi flew economy to Bangalore and Mumbai last month.
The Congress party has asked its leaders not to compromise their security while participating in the austerity drive.