Jhansi, Dec 22 : After a prolonged interaction with women self-help groups here Monday, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi drove down to the nearby cantonment on a chilly Tuesday morning.

While no one was allowed to accompany him during the cantonment visit, sources said it was the firing range for tanks that generated interest in him.

He was stated to have spent about an hour at the firing range before he flew off to Amethi, his parliamentary constituency.

Significantly, local Congressmen were given an opportunity to have a word with the Gandhi scion at the Jhansi airstrip.

Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha (BMM) activists, who had sought an appointment with him, were, however, denied access to the airstrip.

Congressmen, led by union Minister of State for Rural Development and local parliamentarian Pradeep Jain, echoed the local people's demand for a separate Bundelkhand state.

Much significance was attached to Rahul's one-day visit to Jhansi as it was his first after he pushed for a special development package of Rs. 7,000 crore (Rs. 70 billion) for the Bundelkhand region.

The visit coincided with the commencement of the first major movement for the region's statehood, with BMM chief Raja Bundela setting off on a 300-km march in the region.

A group of BMM activists Monday raised slogans, seeking creation of Bundelkhand, the moment Rahul Gandhi arrived in Jhansi.(IANS)