New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has given permission to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and three other people to visit Lakhimpur Kheri, the Home Department of UP government said.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi flew to Lucknow from Delhi along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Before leaving for Lucknow, Rahul Gandhi had criticised the government on Lakhimpur violence saying that it was a "systematic attack on farmers". The Uttar Pradesh government had denied giving permission to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to enter Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday, with Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in place.
Rahul Gandhi, in reply, had said that only three of them were going to visit Lakhimpur and Section 144 could not stop him from doing so.
Priyanka Gandhi is also present in UP in Sitapur.
In other news, farmer leaders have given a week's time to the police to arrest Ashish Mishra, the son of Union minister Ajay Mishra. The farmer leaders allege that Ashish Mishra ran his SUV car on protesting farmers, which killed four persons.