The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, made a brief visit to his parliamentary constituency, Rae Bareli, on Tuesday, prompting ridicule from BJP leaders who dismissed it as little more than a “picnic”.

His stay lasted three hours, from 10.50am to 1.40pm, during which he attended the annual review meeting of the district vigilance and monitoring committee (DVMC), inaugurated eight local road projects under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), and visited two temples.

On his way to Rae Bareli, Rahul first stopped at the Churva temple in Bachchrawan to offer prayers. This is a regular stop for him when travelling by road from Lucknow to Rae Bareli as the temple is located along the national highway. Later, he visited the Pahalwan Veer Baba Temple in Rae Bareli city to offer prayers.

Upon arriving in the city, Rahul was greeted by local Congress workers at several points along his route. He then attended the DVMC meeting, a committee he heads in his capacity as the local MP. BJP MLC and minister of state for horticulture and agricultural export, Dinesh Pratap Singh, who is a member of the committee, also attended the meeting.

Rahul did not make any public statements or engage in significant public outreach during his brief visit. After completing his engagements, he returned to New Delhi in a flight from Fursatganj airport in neighbouring Amethi district.

Singh, a Rahul confidant till 2018, told reporters after the meeting: “He (Rahul) was here on a picnic and didn’t suggest anything for the development of the area.”

He wrote on X: “Rahulji, spend a night in Rae Bareli for the people… only five hours in six months… this means two days in five years.”

Rahul used to frequently stay in villages in Amethi till 2019 when the BJP’s Smriti Irani defeated him. He represented the seat thrice since 2004 but shifted to Rae Bareli in 2024. His office assistant, K.L. Sharma, defeated Irani in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. His mother and Congress parliamentary party leader Sonia Gandhi represented the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat four times since 2004 but moved to the Rajya Sabha in 2024, leaving the seat for her son.

Rahul visited Rae Bareli for a few hours soon after winning the seat in June. This was his second trip.

A local Congress leader said: “Rahul told us that he will stay here after the Wayanad bypoll. He asked us to work for the people and stop paying heed to criticism.”

Rahul had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad and Rae Bareli and won both. He retained Rae Bareli and vacated Wayanad. His sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is now contesting from Wayanad in what is her electoral debut.