Sonia visits Dalit basti, partakes village food

If it was Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi who visited a Dalit's 'basti' earlier this month to feel the pulse of rural life, on Wednesday, it was his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi's turn to follow the suit.

On the second day of visit to her parliamentary constituency, the UPA chairperson visited a Dalit's house in Rohania village and had some eatables.

Gandhi made a surprise visit to one Rampal's thatched house. In her over half-an-hour stay, Gandhi ate chuda (flattened rice) and interacted with the family.

The Congress chief later visited the Mahepasi fort in Salon area and assured help to raise it as a tourist spot. "I will talk to tourism minister Ambika Soni for making it a tourist attraction," she reportedly told party workers.

When local Dalmau MLA, Ajay Pal brought Gandhi's attention to the backwardness of the district in health and education, she assured him of measures to overcome it.

A delegation of Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) employees from Manikapur, Allahabad and Rae Bareli met Gandhi and demanded steps for revival of the industry. They had on Tuesday, staged a sit-in in front of ITI while she was passing through the area. They were, however, prevented by the police.

The employees claimed that Gandhi assured them of help to the ITI in the next Five Year Plan. She visited Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital in Mushiganj area of Amethi.

Rahul and British foreign secretary David Miliband had visited the hospital on January 14.