Taking his campaign in Uttar Pradesh forward, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will head towards Tappal on Wednesday. Rahul's padyatra enters day 2 and will culminate on Saturday in Aligarh. With this padyatra, Gandhi takes on UP chief minister Mayawati yet again after ഹേര്‍

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government denied him permission to hold a kisan mahapanchayat in Bhatta Parsaul.

On Tuesday, Rahul stopped at various places and ate his dinner, including dal, roti and vegetable with no chillies, at a farmer's house in Rampur Badli village in Greater Noida at the end of the first day of his padyatra.

A weary-looking Gandhi opted for rotis over puris, when his host Vijaypal Sharma, a local farmer and Congress supporter, started serving the dinner.

The Congress leader, who walked 19 km on Tuesday, was asked by Sharma's family members how he was feeling after a tiring schedule. To this he replied: "Thik-thak hain" (I am okay).

Gandhi also took quick bath on the terrace of the double-storey house before the dinner, said a Sharma family member.

After the bath, Gandhi slipped into a fresh pair of kurta-pyjama and joined his hosts for dinner. He was accompanied by a friend, who the villagers said was being addressed as Kanishka.

The Congress leader, who backed the India-US nuclear deal in parliament saying that the country needed more power, had a first-hand taste of the reality in rural areas when there was a power outage in the village.

The host and his family members swiftly arranged a genset to ensure the VIP guest was not put to discomfort.

After the hard day's work, the 41-year-old politician hit his bed on the terrace under the sky.