Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attended a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA), inaugurated a beautification project and laid the foundation stone for the construction of roads in his parliamentary constituency here in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul, who maintained a distance with the media during his visit, later said in a post on Facebook that the people of Raebareli told him about their problems with full authority. On the way to Raebareli, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha paid obeisance at a Hanuman temple at Churwa and met party workers.

Soon after his arrival here, Gandhi inaugurated a beautification project undertaken by the municipal corporation in Raebareli at the Degree College intersection. Subsequently, the Congress leader later laid the foundation stone for road-construction projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and then attended the DISHA meeting.

The meeting focused on various public welfare issues, including schemes such as MGNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and others, officials said. Rahul presided over the meeting with administrative officials.

A blueprint for the development of the district was prepared at the meeting and central schemes were reviewed. This was his first meeting with local officials since becoming an MP. According to the Union Ministry for Rural Development, DISHAs were formed to ensure better coordination among members of Parliament, state legislatures and local governments.

He left for Lucknow after the meeting.In his Facebook post in Hindi, the Congress leader said: "No matter how old my relationship with Rae Bareli is, it deepens every time I visit the place. All the people of the area have given me a lot of love and told me about their problems with full authority."