By IANS
Nuapada (Orissa) : Thousands of people including women and children greeted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in this impoverished corner of Orissa Friday as he started a trip earlier labelled Discover India by the Congress party.
The party is now calling Rahul’s journey a familiarisation trip with youth Congress units across India.
The young Gandhi, who travelled from Visahkapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in a helicopter, landed at Nangalboard helipad, some 450 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, a few minutes after 10 a.m.
While senior Congress leaders welcomed him with garlands and flowers, thousands of people standing around the helipad greeted him as he started his visit to the region known for its backwardness and poverty.
Gandhi, MP from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and Congress general secretary, will travel by helicopter and by road to several villages and towns in at least 13 districts.
On March 10, he will visit the state Congress office at Bhubaneswar and meet party functionaries.