Now, Shoe Hurled at Rahul Gandhi at Rally

Dehra Dun, Jan 23 (PTI): A shoe was hurled towards Rahul Gandhi by a youth while he was addressing an election rally near here, barely two days after a similar incident with members of Team Anna here.

The shoe fell 10 meters short of the Congress general secretary, Dehra Dun SSP G N Goswami told PTI.

The youth, identified as Kuldip, was immediately taken into custody, Goswami said adding he was being interrogated.

As the security personnel and Congress supporters grabbed Kuldip, Rahul was heard saying "don't hit him".

The shoe-hurling incident on Gandhi came two days after a similar attack on Team Anna here. A man identified as Kishan Lal had hurled a shoe when members of Team Anna, including Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, were addressing a public meeting.

Earlier, addressing a series of political rallies, Rahul attacked the BJP over the corruption issue.
In Rishikesh, in a bid to puncture the ruling BJP's pro-Khanduri campaign, he asked why the current chief minister was removed in his earlier stint if he is so badly needed now.

"BJP may need Khanduriji but people of the state don't need him, they need development. I want to ask BJP if he (Khanduri) is so badly needed then why he was removed (in 2009)," asked Gandhi addressing an election rally here.

As he began his second leg of the poll campaign in the hill state where assembly elections are due on January 30, Gandhi also attacked BJP for adopting double standards on the issue of corruption.

Rahul said, "they (BJP) say that we (Congress) are not serious in fighting against corruption. But they do not see corruption scandals done by their own governments in Karnataka or Gujarat or Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
"Even the tainted ministers of Uttar Pradesh including Baburam Kushwaha recently removed by Chief Minister Mayawati joined BJP".

Mentioning various alleged scams like Sturdia land scam, allotment of mini power projects scams and Maha Kumbh scam that surfaced during the BJP government, the Congress leader said if the BJP is sincere for fighting corruption, then why these scams took place.

Instead, he said the Congress-led government at the centre immediately took action and sent to jail several people including its ministers found indulging in corruption.
He alleged that the central government brought a strong Lokpal bill in the parliament but the BJP did not allow it to be passed.

The Congress leader also criticised the BJP government of Uttarakhand for misusing the central funds for their own interests.

"We sent thousand crores of rupees for development of the area but they were misused," In this regard, he said the funds given for the purpose is the public money and not the money of BJP or Congress and the people must question them (BJP) in this regard.

At a rally in Srinagar, Rahul mocked at the BJP slogan "Khanduri Hai Jaroori" (Khanduri is esential), and said the Chief Minister B C Khanduri is indeed needed for the BJP to cover up the acts of "thieves".

Rahul said, "Khanduri is needed because the thieves need a cover-up. (Khanduri isliye zaroori hai kyonki choron ko chhupana hai)".

The Congress general secretary also raked up the issue of the induction of tainted BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha into BJP fold in Uttar Pradesh.

He also announced a plan for a railway line in Uttarakhand if Congress came to power there and touched upon the issue of locals' migration for employment.