Rahul springs a surprise, visits agitating farmers

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took the Mayawati-led Uttar Pradesh government by surprise when he visited Tappal in Aligarh, the epicenter of the three-week old agitation by local farmers, on Saturday evening.

The farmers have been demanding a substantial enhancement in the compensation offered to them for their land, which the state government needs to acquire to build the 165-km Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway.

The Gandhi scion first visited Tappal, where hundreds of farmers from neighbouring districts have joined the newly formed joint action committee to stage a round-the-clock dharna.

The farmers have been demanding parity in compensation with their counterparts in Noida and Greater Noida, where land has been acquired for the same purpose.

Assuring the demonstrators of the Congress party's full support, he reportedly told them, "I am with you and will be ready to assist you in your struggle for justice."

He then visited various villages to call on the families of each of the three victims who were killed in police firing at the dharna site on the eve of Independence Day. He also met the parents of the 12-year old boy who was killed in firing by policemen.

Undaunted by the heavy downpour in several parts of the region, Gandhi also visited other villages in the area.