New Delhi, Jan. 17: Rahul Gandhi has dipped into his father’s quiver to launch the Congress’s battle against the Mayavati government from Bundelkhand.

Addressing a rally in Jhansi, 400km from the family turf of Amethi-Rae Bareli, Rahul said: “My father used to say that only 15 paise out of every rupee reach the people. But after seeing the situation here, I feel that not even five paise of a rupee percolate down to the people.”

Rahul attacked the Mayavati government for the “poor” implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. “I have met thousands of people during my tour: farmers, women, youngsters. The drought has reduced them to skeletons.”

Although he did not speak of a separate Bundelkhand state, he reminded the media that the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution two years ago calling for a second state reorganisation committee and his “personal” view was smaller states were more “manageable”.

The Congress has not firmed up its line on redrawing the map of states: the government did bounce off the idea of a committee to test the waters.

However, following an allegation that the committee was a way of buying time, the Congress sort of backtracked and said Telengana and Bundelkhand were “stand-alone” issues.

Congress sources said Rahul brought up Bundelkhand when the party’s Uttar Pradesh coordination committee met in Lucknow on November 12. They would not confirm if he spoke of creating a separate state out of the backward region.

Realising the incendiary potential of the separate state demand, Rahul tossed the ball to Mayavati’s court and said it was up to her to have a resolution passed in the Assembly and then send it for the Centre’s consideration.