Rahul Gandhi meets dalit family in Etawah (Lead: Rahul)

Etawah (UP), Mar 15 : Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha MP from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi met the dalit family whose five members were shot dead allegedly by members of the same community over a land dispute.

Rahul's visit is seen as an attempt to strengthen base of his party among the dalits ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, slated for next year, though rumours are rife that the Congress might go in for early elections later this year.

Last month, Rahul had spent a night in a dalit family's house in Amethi.

Five members of a dalit family were shot dead in Ameenbad village, when some attackers entered house of the family on Wednesday night and opened indiscriminate fire. According to a five-year-old girl, who escaped, the attackers had covered their faces with blankets.

The police said that a land dispute possibly led to the massacre.

The incident had attracted much political attention, so much so that in order to pre-empt Rahul's move of meeting the dalit family and garner political mileage, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati visited the aggrieved family in advance, last evening.

ANI