Congress MP Rahul Gandhi once again sent the UP government into a tizzy on Thursday when he suddenly arrived in Lucknow on a secret visit.
Mr Gandhi landed at the Amausi airport late on Thursday afternoon by a commercial flight and headed straight to a resort in Chinhat, on the outskirts of Lucknow, where a training camp for Youth Congress activists was underway.
The local police and the district administration were not informed of Mr Gandhi’s visit.
Mr Gandhi stayed at the resort for more than an hour and his convoy, comprising three vehicles, was caught in a traffic jam on his return to the airport.
“We learnt about his presence much later and have provided adequate security to Mr Gandhi. However, the concerned authorities were not informed about the visit of Mr Gandhi, who is a SPG protectee. We are seeking details from the security directorate on this issue and will initiate necessary action after that,” ADG Brij Lal told reporters.
Surprisingly, even the organisers of the training camp in Chinhat were not informed of Mr Gandhi’s visit and were taken aback to find the Congress MP suddenly in their midst.
This is not the first time that Mr Rahul Gandhi has chosen to keep his itinerary a closely guarded secret in Uttar Pradesh. In 2009, he went to Shravasti where he spent the night at a dalit home.