Rahul Gandhi's surprise visit irks Uttar Pradesh government

Lucknow, Sep 25 (ANI): Officials in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday expressed their displeasure over the surprise visit of Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to the state.

Rahul Gandhi visited Bahraich district and met the villagers. He was also seen freely mingling with the crowd.

State's top officials said they were not informed about Gandhi's itinerary.

"He is SPG (Special Protection Guard) protected and no official tour programme about his visit to the state was given to the state government. The security of the SPG protected is vital for the government and keeping in mind the security lapses, the state government will take up the matter with the central government," said Mahesh Gupta, state home secretary.

Congress Party said that the issue has been blown up beyond proportions.

"No political party or leader is expected to inform another political leader about their movements. This can only mean that the issue being raised arises out of the political insecurity of that leader," said Jayanti Natarajan, party spokesperson.

Rahul Gandhi's visit kept everyone guessing about what he was up to during his surprise visit.

According to sources, the secrecy behind his visit was being seen as a move initiated by the SPG in the wake of the recent attack on the Shatabdi Express train in Haryana in which Rahul Gandhi was travelling. (ANI)