Opposition does not respect women: Rahul Gandhi

Gandhi while enumerating various welfare measures implemented by the UPA government during its rule, expressed optimism about the passage of Women's Reservation Bill to empower them in legislatures, parliament and panchayats.  Gandhi then set out on a road show from Tumkur upto Srirangapatna in Mandya district, the Cauvery heartland considered a stronghold of JDS, led by former Prime Minister H D Devegowda.

At every spot where Gandhi stopped for a brief, people greeted and cheered him. At several places, enthusiastic crowd, mostly Congress supporters and villagers, garlanded him and offered shawls.

Gandhi interacted with people and sought their support for Congress in the coming elections.

He held roadside interactions at Maddur, the home constituency of former External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, and Mandya, where well-known actress Ramya won on a Congress ticket in the last year by-election to Lok Sabha seat.  He also visited Sriranagapatna before reaching Mysore.  Police had made elaborate security arrangements for the road show. Gandhi later left for Delhi.

On the first day of his visit yesterday, Gandhi had lashed out at BJP and its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at a ‘Bharat Nirman' rally in Belgaum, charging the principal opposition party with ignoring corruption in states ruled by it and blocking passage of six anti-graft bills by parliament.