Gandhi had an hour-long closed door session with Nadwi, who also heads Lucknow-based Nadwatul Ulema Darul-Uloom, one of Asia's leading schools of Islamic studies.
Significantly, the visit came close on the heels of Gandhi's Saturday address to party functionaries, whom he gave a categorical assurance about the United Progressive Alliance government's decision to provide reservation to Muslims.
While addressing Youth Congress activists at the UP Congress headquarters, during the last leg of his two-day Lucknow visit, he urged them to go whole hog into the election campaign with a missionary zeal.
He made it a point to advise them to completely ignore media reports, which have been ruling out any major revival of the party in this state. "Just do not pay any heed to whatever the media says; even if they say that Congress is losing, do not react. What is important for you that you must not lose your focus and determination, which needs to be backed with hard work. Then nothing can stop us from winning," he stressed.
He went on to add, "Remember, the Congress is not in the 'B' team any more; we are in the 'A' team and we have to battle it out on our own strength."
Earlier, on Saturday night, Gandhi chose to suddenly slip out of the VVIP guest house and venture into a couple of villages on the outskirts of Lucknow, where he walked into houses of Dalits and other poor villagers. The media was kept at bay by the National Security Guards. He returned to the guesthouse after midnight.
