Rahul Gandhi strikes a chord as he interacts with people, raises local issues on second day of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Andhra Pradesh

En route, the AICC leader meets family members of Damodaram Sanjeevaiah, the first Dalit Chief Minister, and has darshan of Gangamma Matha at Ganga Bhavani temple

Huge number of people thronged to watch former Congress president Rahul Gandhi walk on the second day of his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Andhra Pradesh, from Chegu village, near Alur, to Arekal Chennapuram of Adoni mandal in Kurnool district on Wednesday.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi shook hands with the youth, cheered people standing on both sides of the road, and waved at them, acknowledging their gesture.

A stilt walker was the cynosure of all eyes at Adoni as he patted the participants of the yatra on their heads. He shook hands with Mr. Rahul Gandhi and walked hand-in-hand with him for a short distance before the security personnel asked him to come out of the security ring.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi walked for more than 20 km on the 42nd day of the yatra, and those who accompanied him included former MLAs from Bihar, elderly people, and students who passed out of university.

En route, Mr. Rahul Gandhi met the nephew Damodaram Sanjeevaiah, the first Dalit Chief Minister. Sanjeevaiah was also the first Dalit president of the All India Congress Committee, and his birthplace was close to Kurnool at Peddapadu.

At a street-corner meeting at Arekal village, people who gathered in large numbers cheered Mr. Gandhi as he broached the issue of division of society in the name of religion and caste, and denial of Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh by the BJP government at the Centre.

He said the Congress party on coming to power would grant special package for the backward Rayalaseema and ensure that the Polavaram project was completed to benefit the farmers.