On a surprise visit to Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi spent Tuesday night at the house of a Dalit in the Barabanki district.

The trip has offended Mayawati's government, because it was not alerted about the Congress MP's plans.

The UP government says neither the local administration nor the police was informed of Gandhi's plans. An official protest over this is likely to be sent to the centre. This, however, may be prompted more by politics than security. The UP chief minister has never concealed her dislike for the Gandhis and their trips to their constituencies and other parts of her state.

The Congress has dismissed UP's complaints, attributing them to Mayawati's insecurity. Party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan says, "All procedures were followed, and the SPG was informed. After that, it's the state government's responsibility."

Gandhi's security has been a recurring concern lately. Last month, he travelled by train between Delhi and Ludhiana for an official function. On his way back to Delhi, Gandhi's Shatabdi Express was stoned near Panipat in Haryana. Gandhi was not hurt; the windows of 3 coaches were shattered. His train journey was part of an austerity drive launched by the Congress at the behest of his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

She wants her MPs and ministers to show solidarity with a country struck by drought and rising prices. So Congress leaders have been asked to fly economy, and reduce their official expenditure. To lead by example, Sonia Gandhi flew economy to Bangalore and Mumbai last month.

The Congress party has asked its leaders not to compromise their security while participating in the austerity drive.