Roadside jalebis and broadband mark Rahul’s Day 1 in Amethi

BSNL’s Chief General Manager (Telecom),Uttar Pradesh (East),Omvir Singh said: “This is a triple play service,providing voice telephony,broadband and television services. The fibre has been laid and anyone who pays for the service can get it.”

The FTP will also support services like video conferencing,tele-education and telemedicine,apart from providing facilities like details of khasra and khataunis (land records),rail ticketing etc.

While interacting with a group of children,Rahul asked them what they wanted to see on the computer screen. “The children said Sachin Tendulkar. He clicked the mouse,typed Sachin’s name and the cricketer’s photo came on the screen,” said a villager.

Rahul told the gathering that his father Rajiv Gandhi’s dream was all-round development of villages.

Connecting farmers and the rural people with Internet will help in that development.

On way from Sarvan to Kachnow,he made an unscheduled halt at a sweet shop in Fursatganj market and chatted with the villagers.

Shop owner Manoj offered him samosas and Rahul readily accepted it. Next,the shopkeeper offered him piping hot jalebis. Sampling this,Rahul asked for a second helping. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation Sam Pitroda,who accompanied Rahul,found the jalebis too hot and the discomfort was obvious on his face.

The snacks was followed by tea.

“The shopkeeper refused to take money from K L Sharma,Rahul’s representative in his constituency,but accepted on Rahul’s asking,” said an eyewitness.

The villagers at the shop complained about the poor electricity supply. Rahul told them that he could do little about it,because the state had a non-Congress government.

At the closed-door seminar at Kachnow — organised by the IFFCO — Rahul spoke on his favourite theme of rich India and poor India. He told the gathering that he wanted to bring the two faces of the country together in order to ensure development.