Oct. 1: A live electric wire today apparently grazed Rahul Gandhi's head for a split second as he was stepping back after garlanding a statue of Maharaja Agrasena in Agra, in what is being seen as a major lapse in security by his SPG team.

Witnesses said the Congress vice-president instinctively leaned to his left and took a few steps away when he realised he had come in contact with the wire. Reports said the wire fed electric lines in a nearby market in the Pavvara area of the city.

Rahul, who is on the second leg of his Uttar Pradesh kisan yatra, is also believed to have kept asking loyalists not to throw flowers at him as they were making the dangling wire sway from side to side.

The SPG personnel guarding Rahul apparently took a while to figure out what was happening. Some reports said an SPG member held Rahul as he stumbled while dodging the wire. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar was standing next to him when the incident happened.

"Four SPG men had reached the spot two hours before Rahul's arrival. The state police had cordoned off the area around the statue yesterday. But none realised that there should not be a naked wire near the place where he will stand to garland the statue," said a Congress leader who didn't want to be named.

Continuing his kisan yatra, Rahul was today back to targeting the Prime Minister for allegedly making false promises and the RSS for spreading hatred in society. Yesterday, he had praised the decision to launch surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control.

"Every religious text of all faiths propagates brotherhood and peace. I don't know which scripture is followed by the RSS, which has been creating hatred in society. The RSS is working to divide Indian people whereas the Congress is working to unite them," Rahul said at a street-corner meeting.

He also replayed his pet theme, telling the people that Modi was helping a select few corporate friends at the cost of farmers and soldiers.

He met the family of a soldier, Babloo Singh, who was killed in Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, he tweeted: "Modiji, the family of Shaheed Babloo Singh martyred in July met me. They feel they have been completely ignored and denied their dues. Request you to resolve their issue."

Rahul raised the same topic at his next meeting in Tundla, again requesting Narendra Modi to help the soldier's family before going on to target the Prime Minister.

"If you have to listen to false promises, hear Modiji's Mann ki Baat. He helps only 10-15 corporate friends. The Rs 1,10,000 crore he waived for corporate friends could have been given to farmers; soldiers' salaries could have been raised," he said.

"He gave nothing to soldiers in the seventh pay commission either. He wants to drive farmers away so that their lands can be given to companies."

Rahul added: "When the Prime Minister does something prime ministerial, I support him. I thank him as for the first time in two-and-a-half years, he has taken a Prime Minister-like action. The Congress and the entire country is standing behind him."