Rahul tastes Lambani Food--'Boti, Batti, Baji'

Raichur, Karnataka, Mar 28 (UNI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tasted the Lambani food-'Boti, Batti, Baji' made of mutton and mixed vegetable offered to him by a Lambani family of Jatti Thanda in Bijapur District last night.

It was midnight when Rahul, in an unscheduled stop, got down from the car and entered the Thanda. He was accorded a traditional welcome by putting headgear.

Rahul, who wondered into a hut but it was not so easy as he had to lie down and put his feets first and enter with SPG sleuths standing outside helplessly. He spent more than one hour in the Thanda.

As usual Rahul during his third day of Road Show in Karnataka was seen breaking the security net according to his whims. At one time the security personnel and police had tough time in locating him in the Thanda surrounded by 'Jali plants' (a thorny plant grown in barren lands).

Rahul again gave a slip to security before entering Raichur today. As soon as he saw slum dwellings in the outskirts, he got down from the car and ran towards the huts nestled with 'Bellary Jali' bushes and sneaked into a hut. Police and security guards had a tough time in reaching him.

Rahul was on his way to participate in a function at a superspeciality Opec Hospital named after his slain father Rajiv Gandhi.

At the Thanda he was presented with a memorandum appealing for according Revenue village status to all the Lambani Thandas in the State. They also demanded direct disbursement of funds meant for their economic development.

UNI MV MSP TS1640