Samajwadi Party activists tried to show him black flags at several crossings, but were chased away by the police.

 The road from the Kheria airport to the auditorium was sealed off and traffic movement suspended for more than two hours. This caused a lot of resentment and anger. "Its a poor PR exercise," declared a harassed shoe trader Rajendra, who was held up near the Soor Sadan auditorium, for more than an hour.

 Shabana Khandelwal, general secretary of the Women's Congress who met Rahul at the airport told Agratoday.in, "Rahul's visit has galvanised the youth and the party would definitely benefit from the entry of young leaders." Around 30 Congressmen including Firozabad MP Raj Babbar were allowed to meet Rahul Gandhi at the airport.

 Party workers and leaders were told to keep away from the auditorium where he addressed the selected gathering of students.

Students asked general and routine questions. A few "politically incorrect" questions remained unanswered, Desh Deepak Tiwari, a youth leader said. Questions relating to price rise and corruption did not elicit satisfactory answers, students later said.

"Such visits really serve no purpose. In Agra, the Congress is in a bad shape and would require total overhauling," a senior Congressman, now out of politics commented.