Bhartana : Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Tuesday stormed the bastion of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav who was looking forward to staging a comeback by sweeping the Bhartana Vidhan Sabha seat.

A part of Yadav's home district Etawah, this small town sprung a pleasant surprise on Rahul who was welcomed with open arms and garlands on the second day of his three-day road show in the state.

This came ahead of the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly elections beginning April 7. Bhartana is one of the two seats the chief minister is contesting.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's 37-year-old son chose to take the bull by its horns and drew tremendous applause when he said: "Look at the state and the problems it is facing. When I was coming here I saw the pathetic condition of the roads and wondered, 'what are the rulers of this state doing?' "

Accusing the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) of poor governance, Rahul said: "The only thing flourishing in the state is 'gundagardi'(lawlessness). Unemployment is at its peak but the state government is hardly bothered. They have done nothing for the state, and yet those sitting at the helm of affairs are coming to you with a fresh basket of promises seeking your vote and support."

Not only the venue where the scion of India's first political family addressed a poll rally but even the roads leading to it were packed with crowds.

Continuing to train his guns on the Yadav government, Rahul pointed out: "Forty percent share of the money in Uttar Pradesh comes from the centre. There are no roads, no facilities for irrigation, no schools. What is happening to all the money?"

He added: "They (the SP) have pushed Uttar Pradesh down from its No.3 position to No. 25, and if they continue they will push it further down to No. 30."

The ever-smiling young man appeared to have endeared himself to the crowds by declaring: "I have come here to work with you for the development of the state. Together we can develop Uttar Pradesh and restore its lost glory once more."

Earlier in the day, Rahul addressed a public meeting at the Rajpur assembly constituency in Sikandara where he lambasted the state government for its failure on various fronts saying: "Uttar Pradesh was lagging behind not only in development but also in other fields, including education, civic amenities and health facilities."

He began the second leg of his campaign from Mahoba, another stronghold of the ruling Samajwadi Party. Braving the 40 degrees celsius heat, people from nearby areas thronged the streets to have a glimpse of the young Congress leader.

Rahul made it a point to target the youth who had turned out in large numbers at each of the roadside meetings as well as scheduled venues.

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