New Delhi, May 30 (IANS): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday flayed the Uttar Pradesh government over the arrest of state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu.

Gandhi tweeted: "I have seen the struggle of UPCC President Ajay Kumar Lallu closely. He was active night and day in helping the needy at the time of disaster. The UP government is doing injustice to them. Putting him in jail unnecessarily exposes the anti-poor mentality of the government."

Earlier, his sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi also termed Lallu's arrest "undemocratic and violation of humanitarian principle", and demanded his release.

"Throwing him into prison on baseless charges during a pandemic reveals the undemocratic and opportunistic mindset of the Yogi government and violates all humanitarian principles," Priyanka Gandhi had tweeted.

Lallu was arrested soon after he was granted bail in another case in Agra on Wednesday. He was arrested in Agra on Tuesday for protesting against the government's refusal to allow movement of buses in the state.